ANZCTR search results

To conduct a pilot study to evaluate the safety and the feasibility of a pilot on-line, telemedicine therapeutic dancing program (ParkinDANCE online) for people living with Parkinson’s disease (PD). This phase 1 trial will test the safety and feasibility of our online ParkinDANCE program, for an initial four-week period of synchronous (real-time, live) therapeutic dancing. Each participant with PD will be matched to a dance teacher and they shall have sessions of up to one hour’s duration, twice a week for four weeks. This research project will provide evidence to inform online implementation of therapeutic dancing, as a tele-medicine modality. The need for online exercise and dance therapies has become apparent, to provide people living with PD access to safe and evidence-based physical therapies.

Despite profound health and disease-specific benefits of physical activity, 9 of 10 people with knee osteoarthritis (OA) are inactive. Here we aim to assess the effect of two types of education programs added to an individualised, physiotherapist-led walking and strengthening program to determine if it can improve overall health. Cost-effectiveness of the treatments will be undertaken, as will mediation analyses to consider the mechanistic underpinnings of the treatments. Using a parallel-group, multicentre randomised controlled trial, participants will be randomised to one of two active treatment groups. Both groups will receive 4 weekly in-person treatment sessions with a physiotherapist, followed by 4 weeks of at-home activities (and weekly check-in by physiotherapist via phone/telehealth), with follow-up sessions at 3 months (via phone/telehealth) and 5 and 9 months (in-person sessions). Primary outcomes are physical activity level (step count via wrist-based accelerometry) and knee symptoms (WOMAC Total score) at 12 months.

To date there have been no studies examining the impact of integrating CM into healthcare for Australian military personnel and veterans. Although some CM have evidence of positive clinical effects in military personnel and veteran health settings, current Australian funding arrangements do not allow for their inclusion in existing schemes (such as the DVA). This project aims to examine the clinical and societal impact of incorporating evidence-based CM – CMs already integrated into military health overseas – into the care of military personnel and veterans in one of Australia’s largest military-focused multidisciplinary healthcare clinics. This study will compare usual care (individualised routine care as would be delivered to a patient in normal settings) to complementary medicine (CM) in addition to usual care. This study is not testing usual care, it is testing whether the addition of a suite of complementary therapies in addition to usual care improves clinical care in naturalistic settings. In doing so this study will examine whether integrating CM in real-world military and veteran clinical settings proffers clinical improvements, resource or cost savings or other benefits to individual patients or healthcare organizations. CM practices in this study include acupuncture/Chinese medicine, massage therapy, naturopathic medicine, or yoga.

Pain and discomfort are commonly associated with all disease conditions especially in critical care. Despite pharmacological developments, the management of pain and discomfort remains suboptimal and often associated with complications. Administering the existing drugs via the inhaled route could achieve better concentration of the drug for effective pain relief and sedation while avoiding side effects. Previous studies have demonstrated safety and often efficacy of inhaled sedatives and pain relief. However, due to the absence of concentration data there is lack of dosing guidelines and hence leading to variable dosing which causes inadequate clinical effect. This is a prospective, open labelled observational Pharmacokinetic (PK) (drug metabolism) study with the aim of describing the comparative concentrations of the single dose sedatives and pain relief agents between intravenous, through the vein and inhaled routes of drug delivery. Blood and urine samples will be studied to assess the concentrations of the sedative and pain relief. The following drugs will be observed: fentanyl, morphine, midazolam, clonidine, dexmedetomidine and ketamine. It is hoped that the knowledge gained from this study will enable the development of dosing regimens for optimal inhaled sedative and pain relief therapy. We plan to recruit at least 10 participants per drug for this study.

Alcohol and other drug use is a leading cause of harm for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth. Despite resilience and a continuous strong connection to culture, the ongoing impacts of colonisation, disempowerment, and inequity have an intergenerational impact on the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adolescents. This intergenerational impact contributes to average initiation of substance use two to six years earlier among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander compared to non-Indigenous adolescents. Prevention of youth alcohol and drug use has therefore been identified as a key priority for improving the wellbeing and addressing health inequities between Aboriginal and non-Indigenous Australians. Previous research has found that curriculum programs implemented in secondary school can effectively prevent uptake of these substances by young people, and have flow-on benefits for social and emotional wellbeing, physical health, school attendance, and educational attainment. However, there are currently no school-based drug prevention programs that are culturally-inclusive and effective for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students. To address this gap we partnered over the past three years with Gilimbaa, an Indigenous Creative Agency, and four schools in QLD and NSW to develop Strong & Deadly Futures, a cultural adaptation of the effective Climate Schools school-based prevention program. The program was co-developed with school staff and Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander youth, who shared their stories, role models, things they love about their community and positive reasons for not using alcohol and other drugs. These perspectives formed the basis of the story arc for an illustrated story, which communicates the key prevention messages and highlights Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander cultural strengths. The current trial builds on a successful pilot study in four schools, and will be the first RCT of a school-based, culturally-inclusive drug and alcohol program for young Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples. Strong & Deadly Futures will recruit 960 Year 7 and/or 8 students from 24 schools across Australia during 2022. Hypothesised benefits include reduced drug and alcohol use, and improved wellbeing.

This study will be a large randomised controlled trial that looks at the benefits of a multi-modal exercise intervention (i.e. balance and walking program) for people with mild cognitive impairment. The primary aim of this research is to determine whether a balance-focused multimodal exercise intervention improves physical health and quality of life; and reduces the rate of cognitive decline and falls for people with mild cognitive impairment. The secondary aim is to evaluate whether a balance-focused multimodal exercise program is cost-effective from a health care perspective.

This research aims to explore the journey undertaken by people with severe asthma in obtaining their severe asthma diagnosis. It has been reported that this diagnosis is often delayed and people with severe asthma experience symptoms for many years before they are diagnosed and able to access the most appropriate medicine for them. By exploring their journeys, this study aims to identify barriers to obtaining a severe asthma diagnosis and facilitating the development of a streamlined pathway for the future.

Many cancer patients and families strive to maintain hope in the face of adversity. Thus discussions on future care should be timed to follow adjustment to the diagnosis, recognise the capacity to integrate hope with truthful communication, and accommodate the preferences from those who hold diverse values and beliefs. Our research program aims to promote a patient and family centred approach to ACP, respectful of individual patient preferences and values. We have previously described the iterative and dynamic nature of decision-making in cancer, the caregiver role in decision-making, the benefit of patient-caregiver dyads as an entity in ACP and introduced the vignette technique as an approach to facilitate discussions. More recently, innovative approaches such as the use of video decision support tools (VDST) have been used to elicit EOL care preferences. We aim to explore this novel way by modelling values-based EOL decision-making conversations between patient-caregiver dyads, to assist patients and their families to reach shared-decision making. We were awarded a Bethlehem Research Griffith Foundation Grant in 2018. To date 87 patient-caregiver dyads have been randomized to an intervention or control arm. Our preliminary statistical analysis suggest that we have to expand our sample size to ensure more meaningful outcomes

The purpose of this trial is to assess the visual performance of astigmatic contact lenses compared to dual-focus contact lenses.

The purpose of this trial is to assess the visual performance of a monthly, centre-near multifocal contact lens available in two near additions against two commercially-available equivalents. Participants will each lens for one month on a daily wear basis.