Trauma Care Symposium

24 October 2024

EMF and Jamieson Trauma Institute (JTI) brought together over 60 clinicians, researchers, and stakeholders to discuss how research can enhance emergency trauma care in regional, rural and remote Queensland.

It was an inspiring day of collaboration focused on improving trauma care, featuring passionate speakers who outlined the challenges faced in these regions and showcased innovative projects from EMF Trauma Care grant recipients aimed at enhancing patient outcomes and experiences. The Trauma Care program is funded by the Motor Accident Insurance Commission (MAIC).

Event highlights included:

– Welcoming speeches from EMF Board Chair Prof Hugh Grantham, JTI Director Prof Michael Schuetz and MAIC’s Commissioner Mr Neil Singleton.

– Project presentations by all Trauma Care recipients, for example an overview of the SIGHT project (Study of Imaging in Geriatric Head Trauma) led by Dr Tanya Mellett from Townsville University Hospital, preliminary results from the REPRIEVE project (Rural/Remote Emergency Pain Relief Investigation and Evaluation) led by Stephanie Nixon from Queensland Ambulance Service, and an introduction to the REMAIN study (Interhospital transfer of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in rural and remote Queensland – can “low-value” transfers be avoided?) by Dr Clinton Gibbs from QAS’s Retrieval Services Queensland.

– An insightful address from A/Prof Ulrich Orda from Mt Isa Base Hospital, outlining limitations to trauma care in his emergency department, his ED’s solutions for these challenges and what external support he would love to see.

– The incredible story of Zach Nightingale, a trauma patient talking about his motor vehicle crash and what he thinks trauma clinicians can do to make the worst days and months of his life better.

– A thought-provoking panel discussion featuring speakers highlighting key challenges in providing trauma care in rural and remote areas such as limited access to specialised services, reliance on aeromedical retrievals, and a strong preference for in-person interactions among rural patients. The panel discussed the benefits of expanding telehealth and adopting newer technologies such as drones or AI, but also stressed the importance of the human aspect in terms of effective communication and strong relationships.

We are grateful for the support from the Motor Accident Insurance Commission for this essential grants program and our partnership with the Jamieson Trauma Institute. Together, we are committed to improving emergency trauma responses in Queensland!

For more information on EMF’s Special Research Grants Program: Trauma Care in Regional, Rural and Remote Queensland.

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Gold Coast 2024 Emergency Care Research Symposium: Spotlight on EMF research 

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Grants Award Ceremony 2024

A new EMF research investment of $1.3 million to fund 22 projects was showcased at the Grants Award Ceremony 2024.

Projects include innovative ways to improve pain management in children, improving management of prisoners with minor orthopaedic injuries, treating diabetic patients, and optimising treatment for patients who call an ambulance for nausea or vomiting.

Associate Professor Luke Lawton, EMF Board Director and Townsville University Hospital Senior Staff Specialist in emergency medicine said the Foundation’s mission to improve the way people were cared for in a medical emergency underpinned the flavour of its research investment.

“Most of our EMF clinician-researchers are working health professionals with a frontline view of the issues,” A/Prof Lawton said.

“Every day, emergency medicine staff face challenges that need to be overcome to improve patient experiences and outcomes.

“EMF prioritises research which delivers demonstrable benefits to patients, staff and hospitals, and we educate and support emergency department staff to translate research outcomes into practice.”

For more information on how the EMF is making a difference, visit https://emergencyfoundation.org.au/.

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Experts gather in Brisbane

Emergency medicine experts including physicians, nurses, paramedics, allied health professionals, administrators and patient advocates have gathered in Brisbane to discuss the critical issues exacerbating emergency department (ED) wait times.
Close to 100 delegates travelled from across Queensland to attend the Emergency Medicine Foundation’s (EMF) research symposium, which showcased the latest research tackling ED congestion.
Professor Hugh Grantham, Emergency Medicine Foundation (EMF) Chair said the forum provided a rare opportunity for medical staff and managers from the state’s public hospitals to get together and discuss vital issues impacting patient care.

“EDs are the canary in the coalmine, where the coalmine is the whole health system,” Prof Grantham said.

“The problem of blockages shows up in ambulance ramping and long wait times, but this is a complex issue requiring whole-of-health system solutions,” he said.

“One of the biggest concerns for emergency medicine is how to enhance patient flow from arrival at an emergency department to treatment, potential admission, and finally discharge from hospital.

“There are also out-of-hospital factors including access to GPs and the need for more community care of vulnerable patient groups such as aged care and mental health patients.”

Speakers included EMF clinician-researcher, Associate Professor Manaan Kar Ray, Divisional Director (Mental Health), Princess Alexandra Hospital.

A/Prof Kar Ray’s EMF-funded SAFE STEPS project aims to decrease demand on emergency services by designing and assessing systems of care in the community.

“We are confident these systems can proactively identify and support deteriorating mental health patients before they reach ED,” A/Prof Kar Ray said.

“We saw a 66% decrease in ED presentations from patients engaged by the Acute Care Team in 2023 compared to the previous year.

“In January this year, the Mental Health section of Princess Alexandra Hospital’s Emergency Department clocked an impressive 1 hour 12 minutes average length of stay.”

A/Prof Kar Ray said SAFE STEPS would help understand how this was achieved and provide a blueprint for other EDs to replicate the success of Princess Alexandra Hospital.

Headlining the symposium was the $600,000 multi-agency patient flow project supported by EMF and Queensland Health. The study, which wraps up mid-year, is expected to reveal unprecedented insights into patient flow impediments.

Researchers are analysing data from 25 of Queensland’s largest public hospitals over six years, conducting interviews with staff and patients, and carrying out a comprehensive review of published literature.

The research covers the whole health system, including out-of-hospital influences and factors impacting on the patient journey in hospital.

Early results show solutions must come from hospital-wide and health system-wide reforms. Recommendations are expected to target issues such as discrepancies between peak demand for admissions and the timing of patient discharges, and alternative care for long-stay patients.

The research team includes CSIRO – Australia’s national science agency, Queensland Health, University of Queensland, and Queensland Ambulance Service.

A new EMF research investment of $1.3 million to fund 22 projects was also showcased on the day. Projects include innovative ways to improve pain management in children, improving management of prisoners with minor orthopaedic injuries, treating diabetic patients, and optimising treatment for patients who call an ambulance for nausea or vomiting.

Associate Professor Luke Lawton, EMF Board Director and Townsville University Hospital Senior Staff Specialist in emergency medicine said the Foundation’s mission to improve the way people were cared for in a medical emergency underpinned the flavour of its research investment.

“Most of our EMF clinician-researchers are working health professionals with a frontline view of the issues,” A/Prof Lawton said.

“Every day, emergency medicine staff face challenges that need to be overcome to improve patient experiences and outcomes.

“EMF prioritises research which delivers demonstrable benefits to patients, staff and hospitals, and we educate and support emergency department staff to translate research outcomes into practice.”

For more information on how the EMF is making a difference, visit https://emergencyfoundation.org.au/.

CAPTIONS:

192: EMF Chair, Prof Hugh Grantham congratulates Dr Claire Bertenshaw, Queensland Ambulance Service on new research funding to improve the management of prisoners with minor orthopaedic injuries.	237: Emergency physicians Dr EJ Marsden, Metro North Hospital and Health Service (HHS), Brisbane and Dr Kim Hansen, EMF Board Director, Brisbane.
061: EMF Board Member and Mackay Hospital and Health Service (HHS) Board Member Associate Professor Luke Lawton, Townsville and Helen Darch OAM, Chair, Mackay HHS, Mackay.	274: Associate Professor Manaan Kar Ray, Divisional Director (Mental Health), Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane and Dr Angie Nguyen Vu, Emergency Medicine Foundation General Manager.
057: Emergency physician Associate Professor Colin Banks, Townsville University Hospital, Townsville, Dr Clinton Gibbs, Clinical Director – Research and Evaluation, Retrieval Services Queensland, Townsville, A/Prof Luke Lawton, EMF Board Director, Townsville and Dr Vinay Gangathimmaiah, Director of Emergency Medicine Research, Townsville University Hospital, Townsville.

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2020 EMF Grants Award Ceremony

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2018 Grants Award Ceremony

EMF celebrated its grant recipients for 2017-18, with an award ceremony on Tuesday 13 March, in Brisbane. The event was an opportunity for EMF to publicly congratulate its recent grant recipients as well as celebrate ground-breaking research outcomes from its grants program.

Guest speakers at the event included Dr Mark Larsen from the Black Dog Institute, Professor Marianne Wallis from the University of the Sunshine Coast, and members of the FEISTY team: Dr Don Campbell, Mrs Elizabeth Wake and Dr Glenn Ryan.

Representatives from 17 of the 19 projects awarded grants in 2017-18 attended the ceremony, along with collaborators from QIMR, The University of Queensland, Queensland University of Technology, Griffith, the University Southern Queensland, the University of the Sunshine Coast, James Cook University and the University of Tasmania.

According to EMF Chair, Dr Anthony Bell, EMF’s grant recipients represented an important solution to the ever increasing demand on Australia’s emergency services.

“There is no simple solution to the complex issues contributing to more and more people relying on our emergency services,” Dr Bell said.

“However, we can all agree that governments need to address this escalating situation strategically and I strongly believe funding research is a key part of the solution.

“Queensland is unique in Australia. For the past decade, our State Government has funded acute care research via EMF. It’s the only government to provide dedicated funding for this area of health and in doing so it has enabled EMF to build a strong culture of acute care research in Queensland.

“Since our first grant round in in 2008, EMF has awarded 151 Queensland Research grants and scholarships totaling $14.27 million. We have also committed a further $2 million to funding a Research Support Network (RSN).

“Through its programs, EMF empowers and supports front-line clinicians, paramedics and allied health professionals to engage in clinically-relevant and collaborative research. Together, they are creating the solutions needed for more effective and efficient solutions to acute care and the healthcare system.

“The research by EMF-funded clinicians has led to outcomes which have been adopted clinically. Their work has brought about improvements in patient care as along with the State’s healthcare system, with economic analyses on just a handful of projects showing that they are delivering more than twenty million dollars in economic benefits to Queensland each year.

“EMF projects have also generated more than $45 million in leveraged, linked and follow-on funding as well as in-kind funding associated with them.”

Despite the Foundation’s success, Dr Bell said EMF future in Queensland was by no means guaranteed and the EMF Board and staff were working together to look at all funding opportunities, including talking with other state governments.

Dr Bell also encouraged clinicians to lend their support to the RSN, which he said was providing an important research infrastructure in Queensland.

Launched in late 2015, the RSN has people on the ground directly supporting eight of Queensland’s Hospital and Health Service (HHS) districts, while the RSN Manager was supporting clinicians interested or participating in research in the other eight HHS.

According to Dr Bell, the RSN has led to 11 emergency departments implementing research plans, a significant increase in research activity and national and international research collaborations.

“EMF has committed more than $2 million from its reserves to funding the RSN. However, we don’t have the funding to continue fully supporting the network and we’re speaking with the HHSs as well as other stakeholders.

“If you value the RSN, I strongly urge you to lend your support to EMF’s proposals and lobby your HHS to help support this valuable initiative.”

Pictured above: The 2017-18 EMF grant recipients and/or research team members at the ceremony

Trainee grants: Dr Kerina Denny & Dr Volha Pankevich; Staff Specialist grants: Dr Katherine Isoardi, Prof Louise Cullen, Dr Ben Lawton, Dr Jason Chan, Mr Peter Gilies (for Dr Alex King), Dr Pieter Nel (for Dr Sarah Boxall), Dr Rob Eley (for Dr Tina Bazianas) & Dr Rose Jones; Project grants: Dr Mark Edwards, Dr Shane George  (for Dr Christa Bell), A/Prof Luregn Schlapbach (for Dr Peter Snelling), Prof Gerben Keijzers, Ms Leanne Diggelman ( for Dr Natalie Phillips) & Prof Marianne Wallis (for Dr Elizabeth Marsden); Capacity building grant: Dr Alan Yan (for Redcliffe Hospital).

Talks given at the ceremony

EMF Chair: Dr Anthony Bell

Professor Marianne Wallis

Dr Mark Larsen

Dr Don Campbell, Mrs Elizabeth Wake, and Dr Glenn Ryan

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Plan to translate your research

Not sure how to translate your emergency medicine research? EMF is here to help.

We’ve engaged Dr Tamika Heiden to lead a three hour interactive workshop on 13 March 2018. This workshop will help transform and maximise your emergency medicine research impact through knowledge translation.

Tamika is an experienced and engaging expert, who will walk you building your own tailored knowledge translation plan, which you’ll be able to use within grant applications and research proposals.

This facilitated session is specifically designed for you to bring your current research ideas or projects, or a new idea and project and to work on your plan.

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Sepsis research could improve survival

Sepsis and septic shock are one of the leading causes of death in hospital patients worldwide, but new research by Australian emergency medicine clinicians could lead to better survival rates.

With funding from the Queensland Government, the Emergency Medicine Foundation (EMF) awarded Dr Julian Williams a $90,056 research grant to improve the early identification and treatment of septic shock.

Sepsis causes more deaths than prostate cancer, breast cancer and HIV/AIDS combined.^1,

Each year, there are about 15,000 cases of severe sepsis and septic shock in Australian and New Zealand intensive care units.²

Septic shock occurs when a body-wide infection causes blood pressure to drop too low. Any type of bacterial, fungal or viral infection can led to sepsis and then septic shock, but the illness mostly affects children and the elderly.

Dr Williams, who is an Emergency Medicine Department Staff Specialist at the Royal Brisbane & Women’s Hospital, and his research team identified 399 septic shock patients admitted to Queensland emergency departments.

They then determined the characteristics, treatment and outcomes for these patients.

The team found that patients treated earlier and with greater volumes of intravenous fluid and early vasopressor therapy (treatment that raises blood pressure) had better survival rates.

Dr Williams said that the research data could help reduce invasive therapies and costly ICU admissions for patients with septic shock.

Since 2008, EMF has invested $421,414 in sepsis research, which included the establishment of a sepsis registry by Dr Williams.

More about this research

Research paper

1. World Sepsis Day Organisation [internet] 2014. [cited 2014,March 31] Available from: http://www.world-sepsis-day.org/
2. Finfer S, Bellomo R, Lipman J.,“Adult-population incidence of severe sepsis in Australian and New Zealand intensive care units”, Intensive Care Medicine 2004; 30:589-596.

Stock image used.

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