|
 |
|||
Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry & Health Sciences
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|||
Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry & Health Sciences
|
||||
|
||||
|
 |
Recent EventsContribute to public health and make a differenceThe AFV Centre for Rheumatic Diseases, Department of Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital, The University of Melbourne. Click on the links below to view each advert :
Work Place Health Initiatives – a major theme at the: International Congress on Chronic Disease Self-managementAbstracts close 28th July 2008 The 2008 International Congress on Chronic Disease Self-Management will be held in Melbourne on 26-29 November. With chronic disease now contributing up to 80% of the burden of disease and the majority of affected individuals caring for themselves, innovations in the management practices of people with chronic diseases are a national and international imperative. Conference themes will centre around the greatest individual and public health opportunities to impact on chronic disease, bringing new insights and innovations to the discipline and generating the momentum to take the field forward. Deadline for abstract submission is Monday 28th July 2008. The 2008 International Congress on Chronic Disease Self-Management will be held in Melbourne on 26-29 November.. Details of 10 exciting half day workshops are now posted and online registration is up and running. Read more...
heiQ to be implemented as part of a statewide chronic disease self-management evaluation in Western AustraliaThe WA Health Department has contracted CurtinUniversity to set up a systematic evaluation system for state-based CDSM courses. The evaluation includes the heiQ and other evaluation tools. The heiQ is already used widely across Australia and is also being used in the USA, Canada, UK, Germany and has been adapted for workplace health programs in Japan.
Major heiQ collaboration with Prof Mikako Arakida, Osaka University, JapanWith the publication of the heiQ numerous organisations around the world have sought to use the heiQ and discuss how best to evaluate self-management and health education programs. Prof Arakida and the Australian heiQ team have worked diligently through 2007 to translate the heiQ into Japanese using strict protocols so that the Japan government national metabolic syndrome prevention program can be efficiently evaluated. The program is sponsored by the Japanese government and involves delivering a suite of self-management interventions to people with metabolic syndrome, i.e., risk factors for diabetes and heart disease such as obesity, physical inactivity, poor diet and various physiological indicators. The heiQ has been adapted for people who do not necessarily have a chronic condition, but who could benefit from self-management interventions to improve their risk factor profile.
heiQ Health Education Impact Questionnaire now used in 6 countriesSince the publication of the heiQ in Patient Education and Counseling in May 2007 it has featured as on of the 10 most downloaded manuscripts. It is now being applied in arthritis, COPD, depression, diabetes, heart disease, generic (any type of disease) programs, pain, Parkinsons disease, cancer, chronic fatigue, carers, elderly, workers, sight impaired, and many other areas, in the USA, UK, Canada, Japan, Germany and all states within Australia. The heiQ is now also available in 10 languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, Greek, Italian, Macedonian, Polish, Spanish, Turkish and Vietnamese. To read more about the heiQ please click here.
The Australian WorkHealth program™ - ArthritisThe WorkHealth Program held its inaugural Industry Advisory Group on Thursday 20th March. This is an important gathering of representatives of 13 of Australian’s leading business located in Vicoria. Participating organisations include Telstra, ANZ, BP, Alinta Ltd., Foster’s Group Ltd., PricewaterhouseCoopers International Ltd., Amcor Ltd., Hawker de Havilland Boeing, Coles Group Ltd., Australia Post, Patrick Asciano Ltd., Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), and Rio Tinto. The overall aim of the Australian WorkHealth Program™ – Arthritis is to develop and test a ‘whole-of-system’ education program for administration in the workplace so that risk for disease onset can be minimized and arthritis-related absenteeism and presenteeism can be prevented or reduced.Funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing, The Australian WorkHealth Program™ is an innovative new program designed to improve the health of every Australian worker. If applied widely and systematically, it has the potential to mitigate the growing economic burden and workforce productivity deficits arising from the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases. To read more about this project please click here.
Richard Osborne’s Promotion to Associate ProfessorCongratulations to Richard Osborne from the Centre for Rheumatic Diseases who was promoted to Principal Research Fellow with title of Associate Professor. This promotion recognizes his contribution to orthopaedic health care reform and chronic disease management in Australia and internationally. Richard was also recently appointed Associate Editor of Arthritis Care and Research, the highest ranking journal in the area of rheumatology and arthritis.
Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute (APHCRI) Travelling Scholarship awarded to Richard OsborneA/Professor Richard Osborne’s oral presentation “Chronic diseases self-management programs: Policies and evaluation mechanisms” presented at the 5th Health Services & Policy Research Conference, New Zealand, 2-5 December, was awarded an Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute (APHCRI) Travelling Scholarship, which is supported by a grant from the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA). The paper was selected for its relevance to Australian primary health care on the one hand, and to provide support for up and coming primary health care researchers on the other.
Australia’s largest study of the impact of Osteoarthritis has commenced at the CRDThe team at the Centre for Rheumatic Diseases at the University of Melbourne led by A/Prof Richard Osborne, Monash University/Cabrini Hospital and The University of Sydney were awarded a prestigious Australian Research Council Linkage Program grant to undertake a large population based survey of about 15,000 people to estimate the prevalence and impact of osteoarthritis including the extent of social, economic and health disparities. This project will determine the burden of osteoarthritis in Australia. Although osteoarthritis is one of the most common and costly conditions affecting the developed world, little is known about the number of Australians living with hip or knee osteoarthritis, the population need for health services or the impact of the condition on the workforce. Directly addressing Australia's National Action Plan for Arthritis, this research will be used by health policy makers in planning future resources to appropriately meet the needs of people with osteoarthritis. This work is of national importance because osteoarthritis is the single largest cause of workplace disability and a major contributor to lost productivity. To read more about this project please click here.
Collaboration Reaps Rewards – heiQ in Germany
Sandra Nolte wins travel grant to further Australian-German CDSM collaborativeIn July Sandra Nolte traveled to Germany to meet with collaborators in Hanover thanks to an RMIT travel grant. Sandra, is a PhD scholar with Richard Osborne (Centre for Rheumatic Diseases) and with A/Professor Gerald Elsworth (RMIT) . During the visit Sandra delivered a mighty 3 hour seminar on quality assurance, measurement issues, and evaluation challenges of self-management programs. She also reported the results from her Australian survey of the impact of self-management programs on people with chronic conditions.
Professor Anne Rogers visitsProfessor Anne Rogers, Professor of the Sociology of Health Care, from the National Primary Care Research and Development Centre, The University of Manchester, United Kingdom, on invitation from Dr Richard Osborne, Centre for Rheumatic Diseases (CRD), visited the Department of Medicine from 16 – 27th July. Professor Rogers led the National Evaluation of the UK Government’s Expert Patients Programme, a 30 million pound initiative implemented throughout the NHS to enhance the wellbeing and self-management of individuals with chronic conditions. Her expertise provided valuable insight and learnings for the CRD which is currently conducting and implementing several national (Australian government funded) chronic disease self-management research and translational projects across the country. During her stay she presented at the Way Forward: Chronic Diseases Self-Management in Australia National Conference on 26 and 27th July 2007, hosted by the Centre for Rheumatic Diseases. Dr Osborne & Professor Rogers also met with national government policy makers from the Department of Health & Ageing in Canberra to discuss future challenges for the implementation of chronic disease self-management programs across Australia. Professor Graham Brown, Rheumatology consultants, doctors and departmental staff also had an opportunity to meet with Professor Rogers to discuss issues relating to chronic disease and management of the health care system as well as current and future research objectives. Professor Rogers is a medical sociologist and currently works in the Division of Primary Care where she leads a research programme on self management for long term conditions. Her research interests include: sociology of mental health, sociology of chronic illness, self-management and lay and professional perspectives and health, qualitative methods and narrative analysis, and policy analysis. She is also a member of the Primary Care Mental Health Research Group and interests in this area include a broad interest in the Sociology of Mental Health and illness.
New Million Dollar Project on Primary and Secondary prevention and self-management education of arthritis in the workplace: the Australian WorkHealth programThe Chronic Disease Self-management Research Group led by Richard Osborne in collaboration with specialist chief investigators Jenni Livingston, Kim Bennell, Rachelle Buchbinder and Chris Stecki have received a grant of $1 million from the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing to undertake the development and piloting of a primary and secondary prevention of arthritis in the workplace Program. A research team comprising two research fellows, Dr Nicola Reavley and Mrs Angela Wood and an administrator, Ms Denise McFarlane have been employed to carry out the project. The AAW project will involve the development and testing of an education and self-management program with the aim of reducing the risk of arthritis onset and minimizing arthritis-related absenteeism and presenteeism (unproductive at work). The intervention will be whole-of-system (senior management through to workers) and be appropriate for a wide range of workplaces. Under the guidance of a national steering committee, the project will undertake consultation with consumers and stakeholders and in September a large workshop comprising 50 participants will be conducted to gain information on implementation strategies, models and resources for the workplace pilots. There will also be one-on-one or small workshops in the environments in which the programme will be delivered to ensure the best evidence is collected to inform the practical structure of the intervention. The project commenced in June 2007 with an expected completion date of November 2009.
Standing Room Only at the Centre for Rheumatic Diseases National ConferenceThe conference was held at a critical time for many Australian program managers, practitioners and policy makers as Chronic Disease Self-management (CDSM) has become “front line” in many Australian and State Government policy initiatives. Tackling the increasing burden of chronic disease and providing mechanisms to enhance individual health outcomes and quality of life for people living with chronic conditions, has become a clear priority of State and Australian government. Major initiatives include initiatives relating to the operationalisation of the National Chronic Disease Strategy, National Service Improvement Frameworks and the Blueprint for Chronic Disease Surveillance. The Vice Chancellor, Professor Glyn Davis, opened the conference and highlighted the University’s commitment to excellence in research and high level Knowledge Transfer events such as this conference. The lineup of keynote speakers provided in-depth insight into the breadth of the field and the challenges associated with implementing and operationalising chronic disease self-management programs across broad Australian healthcare and community settings. On the first day 430 delegates attended 8 half-day workshops designed to upskill the Australian self-management workforce from both the operationalisation and on the ground delivery perspectives. The array of workshops supported the development of new programs, current popular programs, methods of implementation, evaluation and communication of program results to key stakeholders. The important inclusion of a workshop dealing with how to include some of most vulnerable members of the Australian society, Indigenous Australians, was facilitated by Mrs Kate Warren from the University of South Australia’s Spencer Gulf Rural Health School and Ms Fiona Coulthard [correct spelling?], Community Harmony Coordinator from the Port Augusta City Council. Also from South Australia, Associate Professor Malcolm Battersby ran a workshop on self-management support training for health professionals. The main conference day involved 15 plenary presentations to about 400 representatives from the government, health, community and private sectors. Prominent international keynote speaker, Professor Anne Rogers from The University of Manchester set the scene by providing results and implications of the UK national chronic disease self-management program known as the Expert Patients Programme. The afternoon expert panel session, facilitated by ABC Radio’s National Health Report host, Dr Norman Swan generated thought provoking discussions with key representatives from the field as to how to ‘operationalise’ self-management across sectors. Speakers articulated the challenges and opportunities ahead for self-management in Australia. Dr Richard Osborne, in the closing session highlighted that the conference was an excellent example of Knowledge Transfer where leading researchers and policymakers from across Australia exposed the strengths and weakness of CDSM so this field can be advanced more quickly. We hope the high attendance, dynamic interactive sessions and networking have been a valuable contribution to the field.
The Centre for Rheumatic Disease is greatly appreciates the generous support from the Victorian Department of Human Services who was the major sponsor of the conference. The conference was also supported by The University of Melbourne and the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing. Many thanks to the speakers, chair people and the audience who brought to this conference their extensive knowledge, experience and passion for improvements in provision of CDSM in Australia. Conference Organising Committee:
Conference Materials Available for DownloadItems available to view or download include: Download Workshop Slides
Download Plenary Presentations
Showcase of current research and translation from the CRD - July 2006The CRD presentations were a tremendous success. It was full of high impact research that was passionately presented. In total we had 10 presentations showcasing the output of the Centre. Regards PRESENTATIONS GIVEN AT THE ADVANCEMENTS IN ARTHRITIS CARE AND RESEARCH SEMINAR: The individual and societal burden of osteoarthritis: What is it, how big is it, and does it matter? Burden of a disease is commonly defined in terms of mortality, morbidity (incidence and prevalence), and economic costs. More recently, disability, measured in terms of disability adjusted life years (DALY) and quality of life became recognised as important components of disease burden. However, none of these approaches are satisfactory for quantifying burden of osteoarthritis (OA). The aims of this project are to summarise research relevant to understanding impact of OA, highlighting issues and gaps in current research in this field, and to propose framework for a comprehensive investigation of Burden of Osteoarthritis (BoOA) indicators that would take into account the requirements of major stakeholders (people diagnosed with OA, health professionals involved in care of people with OA, and policymakers involved in the development and implementation of national OA-related programs).
The plight of people with hip and knee joint disease waiting for surgery. Joint replacement surgery is a cost-effective intervention for severe osteoarthritis; however, unmet demand for surgery has produced large waiting lists in Australia and internationally. Little is known about the wellbeing of people with end-stage arthritis who enter hospital waiting lists for surgery or about their experience during the waiting period. Our research at the Centre for Rheumatic Diseases Royal Melbourne Hospital revealed substantial physical and psychosocial morbidity in people entering the orthopaedic waiting list, with further deterioration observed over the waiting period. These findings highlighted the pressing need for appropriate systems to monitor and manage the wellbeing of people waiting for joint replacement surgery. View PDF of presentation
The Orthopaedic Waiting List (OWL) study and the development of the Multiattribute Arthritis Priority Tool (MAPT) This ambitious project aimed to develop a new system for prioritisation for hip and knee joint replacement surgery in Victoria. The project achieved its aims through excellence in clinician and policymaker engagement and state-of-the-art questionnaire development and validation methodologies. The two-year research project was conducted in four sites across Victoria with ten staff and derived a new and equitable way for queue positioning and management of people waiting for hip and knee joint replacement surgery. View PDF of presentation
Improving access and equity to joint replacement through national primary care referral framework This is a national project funded by the Commonwealth and lead by the RACGP. It was proposed that a structured framework for referral and communication between health care providers may facilitate improved access and more timely treatment for individuals who may require joint replacement surgery. Working with a national group representing key stakeholders, a draft referral framework has been developed that specifies the information required in referrals to public hospital orthopaedic outpatient departments. A stakeholder consultation phase is planned to finalise the framework followed by a pilot project.
The OWL Implementation phase: a translational research model for improved access and equity into the fabric of the Victorian healthcare system The aims of the implementation phase of the OWL project are to establish a change management strategy to enable wider implementation of the service delivery model, within which the MAPT can be applied. The change strategy will be piloted at four Victorian hospital sites, with a view to future implementation across the Victorian health care system / with a view to develop a well informed and highly endorsed statewide implementation plan for the Victorian health care system. The project will also involve translating the MAPT to 10 languages and developing a framework for queue positioning incorporating a “balance” between MAPT score (disease severity), time waited and local capacity based on community values and mathematical modeling.
A computer based multimedia program for improving rheumatoid arthritis patient education about methotrexate Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common condition requiring long-term treatment with potentially toxic medications. Methotrexate is the most frequently used medication and often the first initiated due to its effectiveness and tolerability. Patients require detailed and accurate information in order to make informed decisions about their treatment and to take it safely. The current verbal and written methods of educating RA patients about their medications have been shown to be inadequate. Computer based multimedia programs have been used to educate patients with other chronic diseases and have resulted in improved health outcomes. Our project aims to develop an evidence-based multimedia program that educates patient with RA about methotrexate and to evaluate this program against standard care in a randomized controlled trial.
How many and what type of people benefit from attending Chronic Disease Self-management Programs? The value of self-management programs has been well-documented in the literature. Attendees generally report positive impacts in areas such as positive and active engagement in life, healthy behaviours, attitudes, skills, emotional well-being as well as use of the health care system. Despite positive results it remains unknown how many participants with what types of characteristics benefit from such courses. The present research investigates how many people report substantial benefits from attending self-management courses undertaken across settings in Australia. Furthermore it investigates whether age, gender and educational background are associated with lesser or greater benefits.
Structure, function and value of a quality assurance program for Chronic Disease Self Management Programs: Impact and sustainability of a national pilot program With the increasing endorsement of chronic condition self-management education and training interventions such as the Stanford Self Management Programs (SSMP) across sectors it is important that course quality is known, is acceptable, and is communicated to stakeholders to inform and engender confidence in self management programs. During 2005/06 a national quality assurance system developed by the CRD was piloted in 10 diverse organisations across Australia. The program involved assisting organisations apply the 42-item Health Education Impact Questionnaire (heiQ), a chronic disease health education outcome measure, and then observing and evaluating the value and impact of the system. Interviews with course leaders (n=36), managers (n=7) and course participants (n=16) elicited views about course quality and feedback processes. The evaluation revealed enablers and barriers to effective implementation and sustainability.
Chronic Disease Self-management – Where should Australia go? The recent Federal budget has allocated unprecedented resources for patient self-management education activities. Whilst these programs have traditionally been delivered in the community setting, the integration of such programs into the health care system poses greater challenges for governments and health care providers alike. Through a review of policy trends at the international and national levels as well as undertaking in-depth qualitative interviews with GPs, key stakeholders and consumers, the Centre for Rheumatic Diseases has developed a self-management service improvement framework which highlights key issues that need to be considered in any future application and integration of self-management education programs into the care continuum.
Chronic Disease Self-management – filling the gaps in evidence, equity and access |
top of page
|
Contact the University : Disclaimer & Copyright : Privacy : Accessibility |
|
Date Created: 01 December 2005 |
The University of Melbourne ABN: 84 002 705 224 |
![The University of Melbourne [logo]](/template-assets-custom/images/custom_logo_crest_comb.gif){kind=logo}
