ANZCTR search results

Hospital-acquired infection is a major concern entailing personal distress and discomfort for patients and substantial financial burden for the Australian healthcare system. A lack of awareness among healthcare providers of the need to remove indwelling urinary catheters (IDC) in a timely manner is a major cause of catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI). Previous research has demonstrated substantial variation in healthcare providers’ awareness of the duration and continued appropriateness of patients’ IDCs. Furthermore, patients are often uncertain of the reason for the IDC and may be reluctant to ask if it can be removed. We aim to assess the patient experience of having an IDC and identify any knowledge or practice gaps in healthcare provider awareness and appropriateness of IDCs at QEII Jubilee Hospital. We will ask patients with an IDC about their experience of the IDC, and then we will ask their healthcare provider about the patient's IDC, including reasons for the IDC, and staff awareness of any patient concerns with the IDC. Results of this study will aid future planning and implementation of strategies to overcome current limitations and bridge these gaps, leading to improved patient outcomes and reduced hospital costs.

The study aims to investigate whether enrolment into a public NSW Get Healthy Information and Coaching Service® (GHS) with or without the support of an exercise buddy, following treatment for older people with low back pain is more effective for improving physical activity and reducing use of health care services compared to usual discharge from treatment. It will be a randomised pilot clinical trial, single-blind, parallel, three-arm pilot study with 1:1:1 allocation ratio. Adults over the age of 50 years who have completed a course of physiotherapy, chiropractic or General practitioner treatment for their chronic low back pain will be included. Participants will be randomised either to Individual-Only Group, Buddy-Assisted Group or Control Group. Our hypothesis is that participants from the health coaching groups will present a greater mean daily number of steps at 3 and 6 months post-randomisation than people who continue with usual discharge care. Our secondary hypothesis is that participants who are randomised to the Buddy-Assisted Group will present a higher mean daily number of steps than participants who are randomised to the Individual-Only Group.

The wrist pain in SLAC/SNAC arthritis comes from wear and break down between specific bones in the wrist. By fusing the affected bones, surgeons can improve pain while maintaining some range of motion. To accomplish this, the ulnar-sided (the side of your little finger) bones can be fused (known as four-corner fusion). A second option exists where an extra bone is removed and the remaining bones are fused in the same way as for the four-corner fusion. (This is known as a 2-corner fusion). Surgeons have more commonly performed four-corner fusion for this problem. Two corner fusions have gained popularity and the outcomes of surgery with these two methods are similar. In addition to treating the pain from the arthritic joints, a two-corner fusion may offer improved range of motion compared to the four-corner fusion. This research will provide valuable information towards improving knowledge of SNAC/SLAC arthritis treatment. Currently, it is unknown whether one method is superior to the other. This study will help answer this question and ensure that future patients get the operation that gives them the best function.

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of an online yoga exercise on mental health in women diagnosed with breast or gynaecological cancer. Who is it for? You may be eligible for this study if you are a woman aged 18 years or older, with diagnosis of breast/gynaecological cancer within the last 5 years. Study details Participants in this study arm are randomly allocated (by chance) to one of two groups: 1. 60 minute online group yoga class weekly, for 6 weeks 2. 60 minute individual yoga class weekly, for 6 weeks Participants will complete a number of questionnaires at the end of the 6 week intervention period. It is hoped that this research will help to determine whether an online yoga class will improve mental health in people diagnosed with cancer.

The aim of this project is to document over a period of a six-month period the post morbidity problems including pulmonary, functional, neurocognitive and health related quality of life for those patients infected with COVID-19. Results will be compared between severity levels of the infection (mild, severe and critical) and adjusted for the premorbid age adjusted Charleson Comorbidity Score. It is hypothesised those subjects with a positive diagnosis of COVID -19 will have abnormal results when compared to population norms in pulmonary function, functional ability, neurocognitive status and health related quality of life.

The project will examine workplace stress experienced by aged care workers. The experience of stress may cause physiological changes in immune and hormonal systems, and these changes can affect our mental and physical health. The project aims to extend the knowledge of the relationship between workplace stress, turnover intentions, and physiological markers of stress: salivary cortisol, salivary alpha-amylase (sAA), and secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA). Using a waitlist control design, participants will engage with a mindfulness smartphone intervention for three weeks. It will establish the relationships between mindfulness, stress and pre-clinical markers of diease. Participants will provide saliva samples and complete questionnaires at three time-points: pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 2-months post-intervention. This information is important as it will improve our understanding of the effects of workplace stress on the immune and hormonal systems and self-reported intentions to leave a vocation..

Concussion is the most common form of brain injury, making up 75-90% of all brain injuries. Concussions generally resolve within 7-10 days, however, up to 25% experience delayed recovery which may interfere with return to pre-injury activities (e.g. work) and cause significant stress for months and sometimes years after injury. Persisting concussion symptoms are thought to reflect a range of factors beyond the original injury to the brain including stress and anxiety and physical factors such as injury to the neck, visual and/or balance systems. Given that multiple factors may be contributing to the persistence of symptoms after concussion, an interdisciplinary approach to management is now recommended in clinical practice. Therefore, we aim to evaluate an interdisciplinary intervention that incorporates expertise from psychology, physiotherapy, and medicine to target the primary factors thought to contribute to persisting concussion symptoms. As part of our interdisciplinary intervention, participants with persistent concussion symptoms will be offered 8 sessions each of psychological and physiotherapy treatment over 12 weeks as required based on the initial interviews (face-to-face or Telehealth). Medical management of persistent post-concussion symptoms will comprise of one consultation with the physician which may include pharmacological management of symptoms as well as advice regarding return to activities (e.g. work, sport, school).

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australian men. PSMA PET-CT (“prostate specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography computed tomography”), or “PSMA PET” for short, is increasingly being used for the imaging of prostate cancer. For this imaging technique, PSMA (prostate specific membrane antigen) is bound to a small amount of a radioactive imaging tracer. Two different imaging tracers are available in Western Australia, based on Gallium 68 (Ga 68) and Fluorine 18 (F18) compounds. This purpose of this study is to: • Evaluate the consistency of PSMA PET scans when the same type of scan is repeated within a short time frame (approximately one week). • Compare results of a Ga68-PSMA PET scan with results from a F18-PSMA PET scan, when both are performed within a short time frame (approximately one week apart). Who is it for? You may be eligible for this study if you are a male aged 18 or older and have been diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer, you have not had a change in your cancer treatment in the last 12 weeks and have been referred by your treating physician to have a PSMA PET scan. Study details All participants in this study will have one additional PSMA PET within 2 weeks of the first scan. You will be allocated to receive either two Ga68-PSMA PET scans, two F18-PSMA PET scans or one scan with each radiotracer (ie: one Ga68 PSMA PET and one F18 PSMA PET scan). At each scan you will have one of the radioactive tracing agents injected into your arm, followed by a 1-2 hour wait before the scan is performed. You will then be positioned on the bed of the scanner to get PET and CT pictures of your body from head to thighs. The time in the scanner is around 20 minutes. In total, participation in the study will involve one additional visit to hospital in order to have a second PSMA PET. The time required for this visit will be 2 – 3 hours after which time you can return home without further assessments.

A range of challenges faced by children and adolescents with asthma contribute to their increased experience of psychological distress and lower quality of life than peers without asthma. Psychological interventions such as cognitive and behavioural therapies (CBT) may provide young people with techniques and strategies to manage symptoms of psychological distress and therefore symptoms of asthma, to avoid exacerbations. However, reports indicate low uptake of psychological intervention in this age group, with youth preferring to seek help themselves via internet sources. To improve access to and uptake of evidence-based treatments for elevated psychological distress in adolescents (aged 13-17 years) with asthma, this project will evaluate mixed reality technology (augmented reality, virtual reality, holographic technology) as a delivery mechanism for a component of CBT. Development of mixed reality tools will be guided by a comprehensive protocol for health program development, with direction from experts in Design, Information Technology, Respiratory Medicine, and Psychology. The acceptability of these technologies for use by youth, their parents/guardians, and health professionals will be explored through qualitative research via one-on-one interviews. This study will provide essential pilot data to guide development of a fully powered randomised controlled trial.

The BALANCE study is a randomised clinical trial comparing 7 to 14 days of antimicrobial therapy for bacteraemia. This sub-study is designed to determine whether patients enrolled in the main study, with a urinary source of their bacteraemia (urinary sepsis/urinary-tract infection), are as likely to be cured from their urinary-tract infection when treated with a short duration (7d) antimicrobial therapy, as compared with a longer duration (14d) of therapy. Demonstrating a clinical cure of the primary source of infection is important in UTI. If microbiological cure of the infection is not achieved, patients remain at increased risk of recurrent urinary tract infection and sepsis. If the BALANCE study demonstrates non-inferiority of 7 days duration antimicrobial therapy, further data supporting non-inferiority of cure for UTI will enhance the generalisability and clinician acceptance of reduced duration antimicrobial therapy.