Improving Patient Flow in Queensland Public Hospitals
Overview
Hospital Emergency Departments (EDs) are designed and resourced to be the first point of call for patients requiring urgent medical care. Since 2011-12, demand for ED services in Australia has outpaced population growth – culminating in over 8.8 million ED patient presentations in 2022-2023. Prolonged stays in EDs are known to harm patients and flow issues pose significant challenges to healthcare workers. However, while demand for ED services is a contributor – EDs do not operate in isolation and are impacted by factors across the entire health system.
EMF is collaborating with Queensland Health’s Healthcare Improvement Unit at Clinical Excellence Queensland on a large research program to find effective and evidence-based solutions to improve patient flow in Queensland’s public hospitals. The research program is jointly funded by EMF and Queensland Health and consists of two parallel approaches.
1. Study to analyse patient flow in Queensland Hospitals
EMF is funding a broad, whole-of-system study to systematically establish the magnitude of factors leading to challenges with emergency access in Queensland public hospitals. The aim of the study is to establish an evidence base for factors leading to access block and use this evidence base to identify system-wide and local solutions to improve emergency access across the state. The findings will inform a set of recommendations to Queensland Health in implementing solutions that are practical and actionable.
This project is being undertaken by a team of clinicians and researchers from the CSIRO Australian e-Health Research Centre, the Queensland Ambulance Service, The University of Queensland, the Gold Coast University Hospital, and the Princess Alexandra Hospital. You can read more about the study here.
2. Special Funding Round
EMF ran a competitive Special Funding Round to support clinician-led projects that aim to improve patient flow and reduce crowding across Queensland hospitals in 2022. These projects aim for efficiencies in admission and discharge processes, treatment protocols, and pre- and out-of-hospital care. Read about the Special Funding Round and the successful projects from Round 1 here.
EMF recognises the importance for evidence-based interventions to improve patient flow, and therefore is offering another Special Funding Round in 2024 with a total funding amount of $500,000 available to support research projects in this area. Proposals focusing on reducing harms associated with prolonged ED stays as well as proposals aiming to translate evidence-based interventions or models of care designed to improve flow into policy and practice will be prioritised. EMF expects funding requests to range from $15,000 to $200,000 for short term (6-12 months) and medium-term projects (12-24 months).
How to apply – Round 2
| Step 1: read the guidelines |
Funding GUIDELINES patient flow Round 2 (PDF) Download and read the guidelines to ensure you meet the full eligibility criteria and for detailed information on completing your application. |
| Step 2: prepare the application |
APPLICATION TEMPLATE Round 2 (WORD) You can use this template to build your grant application prior to submitting via our grant management platform, SmartyGrants. Please note SmartyGrants is not Word compatible therefore the online grant application will need to be populated by copying the content into the online form. BUDGET PREPARATION TEMPLATE (EXCEL) You can use this template to build your grant application prior to submitting via our grant management platform, SmartyGrants. APPLICATION CERTIFICATION DOCUMENT (PDF) EMF requires you to submit an Application Certification document with your application. The Principal Investigator, the Head/s of Department/s (or equivalent) and the Administering Institution are required to sign the Application Certification Document which must be uploaded with the application. |
| Step 3: lodge the application Closing date: 16 September |
EMF uses SmartyGrants to process your application. The link above will take you to SmartyGrants where you can start, complete and submit your grant application. This SmartyGrants Help Guide explains the steps you need to take to complete and submit your grant application |
| Need help? |
Should you have any questions please contact the EMF Research Team on (07) 3720 5700 or email grants@emfoundation.org.au. |
