Programs aimed at reducing healthcare errors and improving patient safety receive funding
Sydney, 5 April 2016 - Australia’s leading funder of health services research, the HCF Research Foundation, has provided a further $1 million in funding in 2016 towards research programs aimed at improving the provision, administration and delivery of health services.
The HCF Research Foundation awarded seven research grants ranging from $20,000 to $300,000 – bringing the total amount of funding delivered to more than $15 million across 30 universities, research institutes and hospitals, throughout Australia.
The Chair ofthe HCF Research Foundation, Lisa McIntyre, said “The HCF Research Foundation is proud to be the only research foundation that commits 100 per cent of its funding to health services research undertaken by Australian researchers. While not always the most discussed area of medical study, health services research is pivotal to ensuring improvements in the quality, efficiency, access to and equity of provision of health services. This affects all Australians at some stage in their lives.
"The most recent grant recipients hail from around the nation and their projects have the potential to positively impact Australians of all ages and throughout many different life stages. This includes a low-cost accessible online program aimed at improving the mental wellbeing of women experiencing depression or anxiety during the perinatal period; through to research that looks at addressing variations in cardiac pacemaker and defibrillator implantation complications in Australian hospitals."
| Recipient | Project | Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Dr Ilana Ackerman, Senior Research Fellow, University of Melbourne |
Feasibility and costs of implementing the ICHOM Standard Set for Hip and Knee Osteoarthritis. | $150,000 |
| Prof Gavin Andrews, Director Professor of Psychiatry, St Vincent's Hospital Sydney |
A low-cost accessible online program that improves the mental wellbeing of women experiencing depression and/or anxiety during the perinatal period. | $150,500 |
| Dr Lynette Cusack, Research Fellow, The University of Adelaide |
Evaluating the costs and effectiveness of reduced length of stay for planned caesarean sections. | $46,333 |
| Dr Kirtan Ganda, Endocrinologist and Research Fellow, Concord Repatriation General Hospital |
Improving the identification and management of patients with radiographically proven osteoporotic vertebral fractures. | $20,000 |
| Prof Edward Janus, Head of General Medicine, Director of Research, Western Health |
Standardising evidence-based interventions to shorten length of stay, reduce readmissions, reduce hospital costs and improve patient reported outcomes for elderly patients in hospital with pneumonia. | $300,000 |
| Dr Isuru Ranasinghe, Cardiologist and NHMRC/National Heart Foundation of Australia, Research Fellow University of Adelaide |
Reducing unwarranted variation in early complications following cardiac pacemaker and defibrillator implantation in Australian hospitals. | $250,000 |
| Professor Michael Solomon, Academic Head and Consultant Surgeon, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital |
Retrospective analysis on the impact of mental health comorbidities on key outcomes for surgical patients | $85,000 |
"I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our many successful researchers in achieving their HCF Research Foundation grant which I am sure will benefit many Australians for years to come. I look forward to the exciting research outcomes along with the successful translation of their research that I am confident they will achieve," Dr McIntyre said.
For more information on the HCF Research Foundation, visit www.hcf.com.au/foundation