Research Portfolio

Prescribing patterns and communication for oxycodone on ED discharge

Pain is a common symptom in ED patients, and is often the primary reason patients seek emergency medical attention. There are, however, growing public health concerns that opioid medications are being increasingly and excessively prescribed for pain. These medications may have a serious side effect profile including sedation, tolerance, and development of addiction, and may subsequently be diverted in the community for non-medical use. A recent baseline audit of local prescribing records revealed oxycodone, an opioid pain medication, is prescribed in approximately 5% of patients discharged home from this ED (with an annual census of 77,500 presentations). Clinical documentation and…

Principal Investigator: Dr Rina Savage
Amount Awarded: $34,955
Institution: Royal Brisbane & Women's Hospital

Will a replicable ultrasound training intervention improve intravenous cannulation processes?

Most patients need intravenous access in the emergency department, but many suffer multiple attempts before the health provider is successful. This can cause patient distress and delays the time to potentially life-saving treatments. We believe an ultrasound-guided cannulation training program will enable better recognition of patients with difficult intravenous access and increase use of ultrasound during cannulation, hence decreasing time to cannulation, increasing success rates, and reducing the number of punctures required. In this study, we are examining the current practice of inserting intravenous (IV) cannulas in the Emergency Department at the Gold Coast University Hospital. We will consider how…

Principal Investigator: Dr Amy Archer-Jones
Amount Awarded: $22,541
Institution: Gold Coast University Hospital

A data linkage and patient outcome study of Aeromedical Retrieval Services in Central Queensland.

Aeromedical services link patients to vital health care. Currently, there is limited understanding of the aeromedical patient journey and outcomes in Queensland. This first-of-its-kind study seeks to take the next step in patient-centered outcomes research and resource allocation planning by linking together existing, but independent emergency department, aeromedical, hospital and deaths databases. A review of the Queensland aeromedical system, (2010-2014) found there is increasing aeromedical use, with an average of 51 flights/ day (102,892 flights) tasked throughout Queensland; with cardiology cases (20%) most common. Yet, there were limitations. First, aggregated data did not clearly differentiate between inter-hospital transfer, back-transfer, multiple-step…

Principal Investigator: Dr Mark Edwards
Amount Awarded: $50,000
Institution: Rockhampton Base Hospital

Patients transfers from rural hospitals – are we getting it right?

The aim of this research was to provide preliminary data on patients transferred to Toowoomba Hospital from 18 rural hospitals within the Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service. The data was collected via a retrospective audit in order to identify transfers where quality and safety may not have been optimal. There has been no clear indication of the magnitude of the potential problems with patient transfers and no validated method for obtaining this information.

Principal Investigator: Dr Sheree Conroy
Amount Awarded: $5,940
Institution: Toowoomba Hospital

Outcomes in Transfers of Head and Neck Trauma Patients for Neuroimaging to Toowoomba Base Hospital Emergency Department.

Patients from Dalby and Kingaroy Hospitals are transferred to Toowoomba Hospital, for CT Scanning and advanced Radiology, when CT and Advanced Radiology services are not available locally. Dalby and Kingaroy Hospitals only have these services during business hours, Monday to Friday, and advanced Radiology when the trained Radiologist is working. This means on weekends and after-hours, patients need to be transferred to Toowoomba for these services. It is hypothesised that a percentage of transfers from rural hospitals for head and neck imaging following minor trauma do not meet ACEM guidelines. Our aim is to investigate the reasons for transfer for…

Principal Investigator: Dr Jacob Crosdale
Amount Awarded: $8,620
Institution: Toowoomba Hospital