ANZCTR search results

The primary objective is to test the efficacy and feasibility of Battlefield (ear) acupuncture (BFA) as an adjunct to standard analgesia care performed by usual Emergency Department health care providers. Secondary objectives include acupuncture application time, and changes in: opioid usage, costs, adverse events, and patient satisfaction. It is anticipated that ear acupuncture will be an effective add on to simple analgesia that reduces usage of opioid analgesia and improves patient satisfaction.

This study is a cross-sectional study of the first 130 women who deliver a live fetus at The Northern Hospital. All women who give birth at The Northern Hospital are assigned a risk category for the subsequent likelihood of developing a deep vein thrombosis within the first 6 weeks post birth. The risk categories are low, intermediate and high. Women who are assigned an intermediate risk receive enoxaparin subcutaneously for the first 5 days after giving birth, whereas those women who are assigned a high risk, will need to receive enoxaparin for the first 6 weeks post birth. Women who are categorised as being of low risk, do not receive enoxaparin. Unfortunately though, approximately 30 % of women who actually develop a deep vein thrombosis are categorised as being of low risk. Therefore, as an initial first step, we would like to determine if a machine, which determines the clotability of blood may also be used to assign a risk category for the subsequent development of deep vein thrombosis in women who have recently given birth. A positive result may allow us to to identify the 30% of women who are incorrectly categorised as being of low risk.

High fidelity simulation education (HFSE) is a commonly employed tool within critical care medicine, however, in practice, simulation education is cost and resource intensive This has resulted in the necessary incorporation of observers in HFSE, and increased interest in whether observers can be expected to benefit from this experience, and what factors might increase the benefit of observer participation. Consequently, this study seeks to answer two questions. First, are the experiences in simulation similar for directed observers and active participants? Second, does the HFSE provide a similar experience to clinical work? We will asses this using two qualitative measuring tools, the NASA Task Load Index and a self efficacy questionnaire, in a repeated measures design with these instruments used in induction and also after a period of clinical work.

This study aims to determine whether oral delivery of PPS drug will lower lipid levels in patients with knee OA. We are also interested to investigate if the improvement in dyslipidaemia might lead to improving OA symptoms and slowing disease progression, as measured by function, pain and MRI, in patients with mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis.

The aim of the study is to investigate the frequency, type and consequences of injuries for females who present to an emergency department of urgent care centre in Geelong or South West Victoria. Study one will collect information regarding the types of injuries sustained by females and compare this information to males. Information will be extracted from participants' medical records. Study two will collect information regarding the consequences of injuries sustained by females. Information will include healthcare treatments, time off work or school and time away from playing football. Information will be collected via questionnaires sent to participants 6-10 weeks following injury.

Childcare services are an important setting for interventions to improve child physical activity as they provide access to large numbers of children at a critical period in the development of healthy behaviours. Implementing brief structured physical activity sessions (energisers) may represent a simple and effective strategy which is suitable to ‘scale-up’ for population-wide implementation. However while several studies have investigated the impact of energisers on school-aged children’s physical activity, few have rigorously evaluated the impact of such an intervention on the activity levels of preschool-aged children. This study hypothesises that when compared to children attending control services, children attending intervention services, where three daily energiser are implemented, will spend an additional 10 minutes in moderate to vigorous physical activity per day at childcare. An increase of 10 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity in preschool-aged children has been found to have clinically important effects on fat mass and peak bone mass.

We are attempting to conduct a study examining the characteristics of the sphenopalatine block when used in the treatment of postdural puncture headaches-which is a not infrequent and expected complication of both spinal and epidural anaesthesia. The sphenopalatine block is a relatively non-invasive alternative way of treating these headaches and is currently in use and offered as a therapeutic option at the Mater Mothers and Adults Brisbane. The study aims to describe the physiological effects of this block . We plan on conducting our research by collecting additional information from patients that have elected to have this procedure as part of their treatment.

Middle ear infections are a big problem for Aboriginal children, however the waiting time to access PCH specialists to manage these is over 2 years. The Ear Portal study aims to use telehealth technology to improve access to specialist ear health services at PCH for children in the Perth metropolitan region. We believe that the Ear Portal service will reduce waiting times to less than 4 weeks.

Middle ear infections are a big problem for children in WA, however the waiting time to access PCH specialists to manage these is over 2 years. The Ear Portal study aims to use telehealth technology to improve access to specialist ear health services at PCH for children in the Perth metropolitan region. We believe that the Ear Portal service will reduce waiting times to less than 4 weeks.

Utilisation of evidence-based practice is important in delivering the most effective physiotherapy intervention to improve patient outcomes. Clinicians often find the implementation of evidence-based practice challenging due to a lack of time and skills or collegial attitudes to changing practice. Ability in evidence-based practice improves with training, however, published training programs rarely address all five steps involved in evidence-based practice (i.e., asking, acquiring, appraising, applying and assessing). The disproportionate focus on critical appraisal of research programs is likely to limit the impact of training. Also, not well defined in the research literature is how well physiotherapists implement the five steps in evidence-based practice. Thus, the aims of this research project are to: (1) quantify physiotherapist’s knowledge and skills in evidence-based practice; (2) quantify the barriers to the application of research evidence in the clinical setting; and, (3) pilot test a tailored, multifaceted and integrated evidence-based practice training program for physiotherapists working in hospitals within the South Western Sydney Local Health District.