HRC research funding to improve patient services

24 May 2011

HRC research funding to engage expertise of frontline clinicians and improve patient services

Four research projects have been offered HRC funding for research partnerships, which will utilise the experience and expertise of frontline clinicians to provide innovative and workable solutions to improve health delivery services.

This initiative, which was run for the first time in 2010, requires the collaboration of the health research community and the health delivery organisations.

Smoking has been shown to be a powerful environmental risk factor for the onset of rheumatoid arthritis and smoking also results in worse disease outcomes and reduces the efficacy of medications used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Associate Professor Lisa Stamp’s project will explore the knowledge and beliefs of patients with rheumatoid arthritis in relation to smoking as it affects their condition. Specific arthritis related factors that contribute to difficulties with smoking cessation will be explored. A rheumatoid arthritis-specific smoking cessation programme will then be developed based on the findings and piloted in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Supported Discharge Teams have been established in the community to help the transition from hospital to home, whilst reducing hospital length of stay. Waikato DHB recently commenced a pilot Supported Discharge Team, with a view to establish the service across the Waikato should it prove effective. Associate Professor

Parsons will use a randomised controlled trial to test the impact of the new service on hospital length of stay, subsequent hospitalisations, institutionalisation and cost. This nationally pertinent research will allow Waikato DHB to make an informed decision around the roll out of the service.

A project by Professor Sunny Collings will investigate the adoption and implementtation of a new New Zealand based Toolkit for primary mental health care development. An explanatory case study design will be used to determine the structural and non-structural characteristics of the organisations that influence adoption and implementation, and whether or not adoption of the Toolkit leads to any measurable changes in service provision or use. The sustainability of the Toolkit use and the transferability of the findings to other health contexts will also be assessed.

Robyn Bailey’s project will develop a youth outcomes model and measures for assessing the changes experienced by young people using Kapiti Youth Supporti (KYS) services. The project will provide understanding of how the integrated service approach used by KYS contributes to these changes, and enables judgments about 'how good' (or otherwise) these services are for young people, their families and the wider community. The changes for young people using KYS services will be tracked over time using the youth outcomes model.

The following list of successful applicants includes the named Principal Investigator only.

Ms Robyn Bailey Evaluation Works Ltd, in partnership with Kapiti Youth Support – How do we know what we're doing works? Evaluating Kapiti Youth Support Funding: $192,000 Professor Sunny Collings University of Otago, Wellington, in partnership with Valley Primary Health Organisation and Hutt Valley DHB – Found in translation: implementing a tool for primary mental health development Funding: $199,249 Associate Professor Matthew Parsons The University of Auckland, in partnership with Waikato DHB – Evaluating a Supported Discharge Team; a randomised controlled trial Funding: $199,785 Associate Professor Lisa Stamp The University of Otago, Christchurch, in partnership with Arthritis New Zealand – Identifying & overcoming barriers to smoking cessation in rheumatoid arthritis Funding: $102,779 - Ends -

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