Research Capacity Building Grant – Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service

The aim of this application is to increase participation in research, strengthen research culture and systematize research processes within SCHHS ED. The strategic vision is the development of systems and structures that encourage and support researchers and invite participation in research. The central element of this application is the implementation of a Research Manager who will establish processes for tracking and applying for grants, completing research governance requirements, recruiting and supporting new researchers, and developing networks. To ensure there is minimal disruption to the ongoing research activity of SCHHS ED while the Research Manager role is being implemented this grant will also include funding for a 0.1 FTE Research CN. The support from these positions will be extended to the SCHHS Trauma Service, which is an important partner to the ED and is early stages of developing research capability. The expected benefit of this grants is that there will be a more prominent research culture in the ED, there will be more research projects within the ED, and the ED will achieve greater success in applying for research grants.

Deadly Steps in the Emergency Department with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Consumers: an evaluation of a co-design cultural safety improvement and awareness tool

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (A&TSI) people presenting emergency departments are more likely to experience difficulty in communicating with healthcare providers, feel isolated, and experience shame and distress. These feelings lead to them leaving before they have been seen, or leaving before their treatment is completed, and they experience poorer health outcomes. Cultural safety is the ability of an organisation to meet the cultural needs of a group of people, and improved emergency department cultural safety has been shown to reduce rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people leaving without being treated or before their treatment is completed. The 15 Steps Challenge Toolkit was developed in the NHS and is effective in assisting healthcare providers to see a clinical space “through the eyes of consumers”. This project aims to adapt the NHS 15 Steps Challenge toolkit to make it relevant to the experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples using co-design methodology based on the “Yerin Dilly” model, which outlines values and processes to make research culturally safe. The project will be conducted in three phases to develop, trial and evaluate the Deadly Steps process. It will use both qualitative and quantitative methodologies to evaluate the process. The impacts of this project will be an improved process for evaluating and identifying opportunities to improve cultural safety, new cultural safety educational materials for healthcare providers, and improved experiences for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people attending emergency departments in the Redcliffe, Caboolture, Sunshine Coast University, and Nambour hospitals.

Patterns of QLD ED presentations for older adults in three time periods: pre, peri and post COVID-19

Since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), the elderly population globally have been identified as a vulnerable group, yet there is limited literature exploring the effect of pandemics on Emergency Department (ED) presentations in this cohort.

Healthcare systems have rapidly adapted and made changes to prepare for a potential healthcare crisis that has largely targeted our frail older population. The impact of the pandemic and changes in health care delivery need to be evaluated, to ensure the measures taken did not have unforeseen negative consequences and subsequent positive consequences.

This research aims to describe the clinical profiles, patterns of presentations and factors associated with outcomes of patients, aged 60 years and over, presenting to Queensland EDs before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of this study will assist clinicians and policymakers to better respond to the challenges of acute care provision for this complex population during future pandemics.

An evaluative study of a collaborative ED mental health program

Mental health is a nationally recognised priority area and significantly contributes to the burden of illness in the Australian community, with almost 50% of people aged over 16 experiencing a mental illness at some point in their life. Coordinating treatment and support for people with mental illness is a key priority area in the Fifth National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan and is a key priority indicator.

Over the last decade several models of mental health service delivery have evolved in response to the need for specialised mental health assessment and care in EDs as client numbers and acuity increases. Research has shown that these models are effective at supporting staff and increasing consumer satisfaction. However, little is known about how well the services integrate into ED service delivery and the way in which these MH services augment ED care and processes or their cost. Nor is there any research that summarises the salient features of the various models in a way that health services may integrate them to improve service delivery.

This research project is in two parts. The first phase aims to describe and explore the structures and processes required to sustain an ED physician championed. By understanding the structure and process required and through identifying its salient features, it may allow health services to implement the model or redesign, or adapt, current practice to improve the care received by patients presenting to EDs with a mental illness. The second phase will involve three quantitative studies that will examine the performance of the model.

Mixed methods study of the Geriatric Emergency Department Intervention (GEDI)

As the population of Australia grows the percentage of those aged >65years is expected to double over the next 30 years. This will lead to more patients presenting to emergency of which a significantly larger portion will be frail and/or from residential care facilities (RCF). This vulnerable population is at significant risk of hospital acquired complications including acute confusion, falls, and infections if they suffer prolonged stays in the emergency department (ED) or on admission to hospital.

The GEDI program is an innovative nurse led intervention designed to improve emergency care of frail older persons who develop an acute medical problem. GEDI's are trained in geriatrics and have excellent communication skills liaising with RCF staff, families, general practitioners, ED medical officers/nurses and inpatient teams. Their role also involves patient centred geriatric risk assessment and management to minimise the negative impact of the older person’s emergency visit. The program has already been shown to led to a decrease in ED and hospital length of stay, improved patient and staff satisfaction and decrease in overall cost of care.

In this research project, we will evaluate the structures, processes and outcomes of the GEDI intervention relevant to the RCF cohort. This study will look specifically at the RCF dwelling cohort as they have often been excluded from previous studies. We hope to use the outcomes of this research to gain a greater understanding of the problems faced by our frail ED RCF population and with this knowledge develop innovative evidenced based healthcare solutions.