Research Portfolio

The sepsis registry: A prospective database to characterise and facilitate improved outcome for admitted patients with community-acquired infection.

This study aims to improve our understanding of sepsis in Australian Emergency Departments. We will do this by analysing in great detail the spectrum of infection syndromes presenting to the Emergency Department of a typical large Australian hospital over a period of several years. This will allow us to: 1) Identify the number of patients presenting to hospitals each year with severe infections and the outcome of these presentations. 2) Analyse the factors and information available to doctors in the Emergency Department that are associated with overall prognosis in patients with infection. 3) Build a comprehensive picture of the spectrum…

Principal Investigator: Dr Julian Williams
Amount Awarded: $200,000
Institution: Royal Brisbane & Women's Hospital

Examining Sepsis in the Emergency Department

Infections, particularly serious infections leading to sepsis, cost the Australian healthcare system millions of dollars every year and impose a significant burden of illness on the Australian community. Serious infections also have the capacity to cause tragedy at a much more personal level, with lethal outcomes possible even in young healthy individuals. Despite the significant consequences of these illnesses, we have very limited information about the best way to identify and treat infection in Emergency Departments. Therefore, research that provides more information is vital. We are conducting a ground breaking body of research to improve our understanding of infection in…

Principal Investigator: Dr Julian Williams
Amount Awarded: $90,056.17
Institution: Royal Brisbane & Women's Hospital

Placement of antiseptic solution and hand lotion as a factor influencing hand hygiene compliance in the emergency department.

Effective hand washing and hand hygiene are universally recognized as the simplest ways to prevent the spread of infection. As well as limiting the spread of disease, hand washing is one of the few effective ways to reduce the development of antibiotic resistant infections. Despite this, many studies have shown that hand hygiene and compliance best-practice standards is universally poor amongst doctors and nurses working in hospitals. Previous studies have identified many factors reported to affect hand washing compliance. The time to undertake hand hygiene, the individual’s knowledge of hand hygiene techniques, their attitudes towards its importance, workloads, and the…

Principal Investigator: Dr Michael Sinnott
Amount Awarded: $16,800
Institution: Princess Alexandra Hospital

Cost effectiveness and Clinical outcomes of B-type Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) Point of Care Testing versus BNP Laboratory testing for Adults with Dyspnoea in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Nambour General Hospital.

Patient flow and access block will be evaluated through comparing time to decision making in the Emergency Department (ED) and Emergency Department length of stay (ED LOS) between patients who have POC and Laboratory BNP testing. Cost effectiveness will be evaluated by reviewing treatment type given, admission rate, ICU admission rate, inpatient length of stay (IP LOS), Emergency Department Length of Stay and 30day readmission rate. This study will build upon the findings of a similar concurrent study. Both studies demonstrate a poor utility in BNP testing in patients presenting with shortness of breath in reducing Emergency Department length of…

Principal Investigator: Dr David Ward
Amount Awarded: $13,050
Institution: Nambour General Hospital

Pilot project to assess measures of psychological impact of providing CPR on a related victim of cardiac arrest.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) provision by bystanders has a well recognized link to improved outcome in cardiac arrest sufferers. However, a victim of cardiac arrest is more likely to receive CPR from a non-related bystander than from a related witness. It is thought that there are psychological barriers to the provision of CPR by related persons. The overall aim of the proposed pilot study is to examine the effects of CPR provision on persons who are related bystanders of a victim of cardiac arrest. The three key purposes for the proposed pilot study, therefore, are: (1) to assess the proposed recruitment…

Principal Investigator: Dr Iain McNeill
Amount Awarded: $14,650
Institution: Princess Alexandra Hospital