• Six new health research projects to receive funding grants from a pool of more than $1.85 million thanks to the HCF Research Foundation 
• This is the first round of projects to be funded by the HCF Research Foundation Translational Research Grants (TRG), focused specifically on projects that translate research into practice 
• Projects will aim to: reduce unwarranted clinical variation; reduce readmission of heart failure patients to regional hospitals; improve colonoscopy care in Victorian hospitals; reduce inappropriate medications for low back pain in emergency departments; improve knee surgery wait times for public patients; and reduce the rates of diabetes related foot disease hospitalisations and complications like amputation 

Thursday August 18, 2022: Six new medical research projects that will bring research off the paper and into reality to make significant impacts on the delivery of quality healthcare will be funded, thanks to the inaugural round of the HCF Research Foundation Translational Research Grants (TRG).

Australia’s leading non-Government funder of health services research, the HCF Research Foundation, has announced the first round of its TRG recipients, who will each respond to significant health issues by translating research findings into practice alongside health service providers.

The Foundation’s TRG scheme is focused on responding to health issues identified within health care provider communities and helping to translate research findings into real practice by providers.

HCF Research Foundation Chair, Professor Claire Jackson, said the new scheme would take traditional research into real-world scenarios to make a significant impact.

“Through this scheme, we want to help researchers deliver better patient outcomes and experiences, and more cost-effective health services for both patients and providers,” Prof Jackson said.

“The Foundation exists not only to support and fund incredibly important health and medical research but also to ensure that innovative, evidence-based research is implemented in healthcare settings so that we can work towards ensuring Australians have access to, and receive, better and more affordable healthcare.”

The Foundation has invested more than $24 million in research over the past 21 years, making a meaningful contribution towards improving the delivery of health services for all Australians.

The recipients of the inaugural HCF Research Foundation Translational Grants grants, who have received more than $1.85 million in combined funding, are:

- Dr Mitchell Sarkies, Macquarie University Hospital: Implementation of evidence and consensus-based perioperative care pathways to reduce unwarranted clinical variation in a private, academic health sciences centre

- Prof Andrea Driscoll, Deakin University: Regional Heart Health: Keeping Australians out of Hospital

- A/Prof Denise O’Connor, Cabrini Health / Monash University: Value In Care – optimising surveillance Colonoscopy (VIC-COL) in Victorian healthcare services: an interrupted time series study

- A/Prof Shaun O’Leary, Royal Brisbane Women’s Hospital: Reducing Inappropriate Medications for low back pain in the emergency department

- Prof Jennie Scarvell, University of Canberra: Best practice pathway for knee osteoarthritis – implementing an advanced musculoskeletal pre-surgical triage and assessment clinic

- Prof Vivienne Chuter, Western Sydney University: Implementation and evaluation of the Australian guidelines for diabetes-related foot disease into hospital-based high-risk foot services

Details: https://www.hcf.com.au/about-us/hcf-foundation

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For more information on any of the projects or for any further media enquiries please contact:

Rebecca Page 0439130400 rpage@hcf.com.au

ABOUT HCF

HCF, Australia’s largest not-for-profit health fund protecting Australians since 1932, covers more than 1.75 million members with health and life insurance, and travel and pet insurance. On average over the last five years, HCF has paid out more cents in every dollar in premiums to members as benefits than the industry average. To learn more about HCF go to hcf.com.au/about-us