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Throughout young people’s lives there are many different events and factors that can have an impact on their life course. Changing health states, different lived experiences, exposure to diverse opportunities, education, and influences from cultural and socioeconomic circumstances can all have pivotal roles. The MQ-MINDS Pilot Cohort Study aims to pilot the establishment of a large, longitudinal cohort study with a young adult demographic and routinely capturing information on life experiences and exposures and their impact on health-related quality of life, lifestyle, health, continuing education and career trajectories, which will be instrumental in understanding the determinants of healthy, resilient individuals over a unique segment of their life course.

Our study aims to determine the effectiveness of the use of virtual reality to reduce the pain and distress associated with childhood vaccination in the general practice setting. The hypothesis relating to our primary aim is that virtual reality content delivered through a headset will reduce pain and distress associated with childhood vaccination compared to the use of standard techniques used in the primary care setting.

The purpose of this project is to investigate whether a soluble fibre supplement (an oligosaccharide blend) is effective in improving asthma control and reducing airway inflammation in adults with poorly controlled asthma. Soluble fibre comes from plant based foods (fruits, vegetables, grains) and is not digested until it reaches the bowel. When it reaches the bowel, the bacteria that live there break it down into small molecules, which are known to be beneficial for our immune system. In this study, we hope to gain further insight into the possible health benefits of soluble fibre in adults with poorly controlled asthma. The project involves a 16 week intervention where 32 participants with stable asthma will be allocated to take a high dose of soluble fibre (oligosaccharide blend) in one or two daily doses, a low dose of soluble fibre (oligosaccharide blend) and placebo control (maltodextrin) for 2 weeks, in random order, with a two week washout period between each supplement phase. Subjects will not know which supplement they are receiving throughout the study.

Falling is one of the most frequent complications seen in stroke patients early after they are discharged home. Thus, finding ways to prevent falls, especially among individuals prone to repeated falls, is urgent. This study will explore whether this integrated lifestyle approach (LiFE) in reducing falls is able to be used with the stroke population, and if so, whether participants experience similar improvements. The LiFE approach involves embedding balance and strength training within habitual daily routines, and has been shown to be effective for reducing falls in older people without stroke. What is unknown to date is whether this functional based exercise approach is also effective in the specific stroke population. This study is a pilot study which will test the feasibility of using the LiFE approach to balance and strength training with a group of stroke patients living in Melbourne. The protocol will randomly assign ten (10) participants to one of two groups: the LiFE falls prevention program or a usual care control group. The usual care control group will receive the Alfred Health Occupational Therapy Falls handout, plus 7 strengthening exercises and encouragement to complete these 3 times per week. The LiFE group will receive the balance and strengthening program once per week in their own home. The study period is 10 weeks. The aim of the study is to determine acceptability of the LiFE approach, as well as to begin to understand its efficacy in the stroke population. Data will be collected at baseline, at 3 months and at 6 months. Findings will not only provide important information on falls prevention rehabilitation for Alfred Health, but will also provide data useful for planning a larger clinical trial.

Each year more than 10,000 Australian stroke survivors are admitted to rehabilitation to improve independence. Occupational therapy assessments conducted before discharge aim to enable a safe independent transition from hospital to home, however there is no evidence that home visits improve outcomes for stroke survivors. The HOME trial will address this evidence gap with the aim of determining the effectiveness, and cost effectiveness of an occupational therapy discharge planning intervention consisting of three occupational therapy sessions primarily conducted in the home. This multicentre, randomised controlled trial will recruit 360 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of stroke admitted for inpatient rehabilitation. Patients will receive either the HOME intervention, or an inhospital predischarge planning package. The primary hypothesis is that the HOME intervention will improve functional participation levels at 4 weeks, 6 and 12 months, compared to predischarge planning package. Secondary hypotheses are that the HOME intervention will result in fewer hospital readmissions at 6 months postdischarge, and will be less costly than an occupational therapy predischarge home visit package.

Implantable loop recorders (ILR) are used to detect and define heart rhythm problems (cardiac arrhythmias) where symptoms are too infrequent to be captured on non­implantable cardiac rhythm monitoring devices. Currently, the main accepted indication for implantation is recurrent syncope, with a recent addition of cryptogenic stroke as an indication also. Remote monitoring of other implanted cardiac devices (pacemakers and defibrillators) has become the standard of care, based on several randomised trials showing benefits extending across morbidity, mortality, cost effectiveness, and patient satisfaction. The benefits of remote monitoring of ILRs have not been clearly established. The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of remote monitoring. A comparison between usual office-visit follow-up and remote monitoring only with an initial period of phone-contact will be made. Remote monitoring should lead to action on ILR findings in a shorter time-frame than waiting for the next office visit.

Approximately 150 male participants aged between 18-40 years of age will be recruited from databases and public media outlets. Following preliminary screening via telephone, potential participants will attend the clinic for an information session and will be required to provide their consent for inclusion in the trial. Consenting participants will undergo a health assessment including lifestyle, current medications, physical assessment and medical history; this data will be used for the comprehensive screening and to provide contextual data for the study. Once enrolled in the trial, participants will be randomly allocated to either the placebo comparator group (n=50) or one of two active intervention groups (n=50 per group). Height, weight, body composition, cardiovascular function, and treadmill exercise testing and questionnaires regarding gastrointestinal tolerance, score of fatigue, and quality of life will be assessed at enrolment. Within the week pre-treatment, participant’s blood will be collected for analysis of pre-treatment blood markers. Participants will be asked to take the allocated product according to the dose prescribed. In addition, participants will be asked to undertake the training program consisting of aerobic training. Participants will complete 4 training sessions per week and undertake further assessment at weeks 4 and 8. At the mid-point (week 4) participants will complete treadmill exercise testing, as well as having weight and waist circumference assessment. At the completion of the study (week 8), an assessment identical to what was undertaken at baseline will be carried out. At both time points (week 4 and 8) and as part of the assessment, participants will be interviewed and asked to provide details regarding any lifestyle changes (diet, exercise, medication) in addition to subjective changes in exercise, performance and any adverse effects (including change in libido and mood).

This project seeks to determine the feasibility and effectiveness of postmeal walking exercise to control blood glucose in gestational diabetes. Postmeal walking involves 10 min of physical activity (preferably walking) after breakfast, lunch and dinner. Women with gestational diabetes will be randomised to standard-care alone, or with postmeal walking. It is hypothesised that postmeal walking will improves aspects of blood glucose control more than standard-care alone.

The aim of this research is to translate the low-cost ‘Integrative Medicine for Labour & Birth Program’ (My Birth Course) into end-user benefit and to inform health service delivery. The study will be conducted as a randomised controlled trial (RCT). Randomisation will occur between 24-36 weeks’ gestation. Women will be enrolled into the My Birth Course (antenatal education program), in addition to standard care, or receive standard care alone. This RCT will contribute to a prospective meta-analysis design to assess clinical effectiveness and quantify resource use that will affect translation into practice and sustainability. This study extends the finding of the original RCT conducted in Sydney, Australia which demonstrated significant reductions in caesarean section and medical interventions. The unique contribution of this proposal is to extend the generalisability of the findings by recruiting women from a more diverse group of women at a different hospital to determine the real-world effectiveness of an antenatal education intervention when it is delivered through a range of maternity units in Australia and internationally.

Who is it for? You may be eligible for this study if you are aged over 18, have cancer, are attending the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital medical oncology outpatient clinics and have been identified as being at risk of malnutrition. Caregivers of these patients may also be eligible. Study details Participants will be randomised (by chance) into two groups. One group will see a hospital research dietitian for three counselling sessions, two weeks apart (i.e. over four to five weeks). The other group will continue to receive their usual care. Before and after the program, participants will answer a number of questionnaires relating to their quality of life, nutritional status and level of distress. It is hoped this research demonstrates improved quality of life for people with cancer and their caregivers (where available). Additionally, this research hopes to demonstrate the feasibility of the program, and facilitate the implementation of a definitive randomised controlled trial (RCT) in the future.