QUT researchers have been awarded two National Health and Medical Research Council's Collaborations in Health Services grants totalling $1,999,045.
The recipient research projects are:
Associate Professor Amanda Fox, from QUT's School of Nursing and the QUT Centre for Healthcare Transformation, has received a grant of $999,588.60 for the project, Working to the top-of-scope of registered nurse practice to enhance community access to essential MEDicines (TOP-MED study).
Professor Fox said the most common health intervention globally was medicine prescribing which was not always readily available, especially in rural and remote areas.
"Our research aims to improve consumers' access to medicines by facilitating the implementation of designated Registered Nurse (RN) prescribing in Australia," Professor Fox said.
"The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia has released the registration standard for designated registered nurse prescribers which provides a model enabling RNs to prescribe medicine under the supervision of an independent prescriber.
"While this expanded scope of practice has great potential to improve access to critical health services, introducing such a model will be complex and requires extensive collaboration and codesign to ensure sustainable practice change.
"This implementation research project aims to enhance adoption of RN prescribing across multiple healthcare settings to improve patient care.
"We will partner with consumers, nurses, medical practitioners and governments to co-design an implementation model for RN prescribing in metropolitan and rural and remote health settings and, provide a preliminary economic evaluation of the model."
The research team comprises: chief investigators Associate Professor Fox, Distinguished Professor Patsy Yates, Professor Stephen McPhail co-directors of the QUT Centre for Healthcare Transformation, Dr Suzanne Williams, from QUT; Professor Frances Fengzhi Lin, Professor Raymond Chan, and Associate Professor Carolyn Ee from Flinders University; Associate Professor Shelley Nowlan, Queensland Health; Associate Professor Jennifer Hurley, SA Health; Jessica Taylor from QENDO.
Associate investigators are: Paula Medway, SA Health; Associate Professor Andrew Hale, Dr Michelle Allen, Dr David Brain, Dr John Paul Kuwornu, QUT; Anne Mette Adams, Flinders University; Carol Mock Sunshine Coast University Hospital.
Professor Debbie Long, from QUT's School of Nursing and the Centre for Healthcare Transformation, has received $999,456.60 for the project, Paediatric Post Sepsis Care: Enhancing Research Innovation and Health Outcomes through Partnerships and Translation.
Dr Long said the research aimed to transform the way in which paediatric post-sepsis follow-up services are delivered to child sepsis survivors and their families and the bereaved
"Sepsis is a leading cause of childhood death in Australia. Five per cent of children who survive sepsis die within twelve months of discharge and 42 per cent are readmitted to hospital.
"Up to 40 per cent of sepsis survivors experience long-term impairments in physical, cognitive and psychosocial function, which significantly impacts children's recovery and development and they and their families, and those who have lost a child to sepsis need improved follow-up and ongoing support.
"We will undertake health services research to improve outcomes for children and their families focussing on unmet needs of survivors and the bereaved.
"Our large multi-disciplinary and multi-location team will co design protocols for developing tailored care plans, primary health clinician guidelines, and prioritised outcomes and reporting."
The team comprises chief investigators: Dr Long, Associate Professor Zephanie Tyack, Dr Hannah Carter from the Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation, QUT; Associate Professor Adam Irwin, Dr Sainath Raman, from Children's Health Queensland, Professor Kristen Gibbons from The University of Queensland; Associate Professor Naomi Hammond, Professor Bala Venkatesh and Mary Steele from The George Institute for Global Health; Dawn Foster from Sepsis Australia.
Associate investigators are: Associate Professor Paula Lister from Sunshine Coast University Hospital; Dr Brett Abbenbroek from The George Institute for Global Health; Michael Rice Clinical Excellence Queensland Health; Dr Patricia Gilholm, Luregn Schlapbach from The University of Queensland; Professor John Prins from Health Translation Queensland, Thomasina Donovan from QUT; Dr Sophie Chien-Hui Wen, Karina Charles and Associate Professor Steven McTaggart from Children's Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service.
Main image at top, from top left clockwise: Distinguished Professor Patsy Yates, Professor Steven McPhail, Professor Amanda Fox, Dr Suzanne Williams, Dr David Brain, Associate Professor Andrew Hale, Dr John Paul Kuwornu, Dr Michelle Allen.
Right panel from top: Professor Debbie Long, Dr Hannah Carter, and Associate Professor Zephanie Tyack.
