Health Check Issue 19 2008 (PDF 283k) - Griffith University

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Inside this issue 3 Bone, muscle and movement research 3 Honorary doctorate 3 International research links 3 Teaching excellence Healthy growth Griffith Health continues to develop at a rapid pace. The University has been working closely with Queensland Health and other stakeholders around the design of the education and research facilities for the new Gold Coast University Hospital. In addition we are also investigating ways in which we can consolidate and further develop our own facilities including the new medicine and oral health and research facilities at Parklands to actively encourage interaction and close collaboration with our Queensland Health colleagues. The Group was delighted to receive notice in June that the University is committing funds to further develop health research. As one of the eight areas of strategic investment, the University will provide $5 million over the next five years to build activities with the Griffith Institute for Health and Medical Research focussed on developing national standing in research covering health innovation, prevention of chronic disease and health promotion. The Group will also actively participate with the Science, Environment, Engineering and Technology Group in a second area of strategic investment focussed on building capacity in drug discovery to combat infectious diseases. Planning for the Gold Coast University Hospital, and the prospect of new University health facilities and funding are very exciting. These initiatives will add to the already substantial health presence at Parklands, delivering the next phase in what is fast developing into a health education and research precinct of international significance. Professor Allan Cripps, Pro Vice Chancellor (Health) Food for thought on falls prevention Research conducted in the emergency department of the Princess Alexandra Hospital has shown the benefits of early identification of malnutrition in the elderly. While malnutrition has been previously associated with the risk of falls in the older population, the study was unique in discriminating between falls in the active elderly and falls in the frail elderly with predisposing conditions such as impaired vision, motor or cognition function. Master of Nutrition and Dietetics student Cameron McDonald found frail fallers were seven times more likely to be malnourished than the active fallers. “Almost half of frail elderly patients who reported a fall were found to be malnourished compared to only ten per cent of the active patients who experienced a fall,” he said. Given that a history of falls greatly increases the risk of future falls, hospital stays and health complications, he said early identification of the at-risk group and intervention such as nutritional supplements was likely to be cost effective. Mr McDonald, who is also an Australian Association for Exercise and Sports Science Accredited Exercise Physiologist, said previous trials had found while supplements helped undernourished people put on weight, there was no evidence it prevented falls. “However those studies haven’t separated out the cause of the falls. Now we know the frail are more affected by malnutrition, we can better assess the usefulness of various interventions in preventing falls.” He said falls prevention programs tended to focus on improving balance and lower body strength but also needed to incorporate nutrition. “It’s a vicious cycle as inactivity in the elderly leads to a lack of appetite, and not eating causes weakness, increased susceptibility to disease and reinforces the lack of physical activity.” The study also found that more than half of the patients found to be malnourished by the researcher, were not routinely identified as such by medical or allied health staff in the emergency department or during their hospital stay. This is despite the availability of a simple, two-item Malnutrition Screening Tool. Further research is required to establish the cost effectiveness of earlier nutrition assessment of patients and referral to dietetic staff for intervention. New strength in bone, muscle and movement research Recent appointments and the arrival of some key equipment have boosted the emerging Bone, Muscle and Movement research group of the Griffith Institute for Health and Medical Research. The multidisciplinary group currently includes members from the Schools of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science, Medicine, Medical Science and Pharmacy – with all having a common interest in the neuromuscular or skeletal basis of physical function in health and disease. Associate Professor Rod Barrett, from the School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science, said the group included both pure and applied researchers, however the majority were engaged in research relating to early interventions and treatment for musculoskeletal disorders. “Some of our current research includes the prevention of osteoporosis and falls in the elderly, treatments for a broad range of musculoskeletal disorders such as osteoarthritis and tennis elbow, and neurological disorders such as tremor,” he said. New research talent in the group includes Professor Peter Milburn (Head of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science) and the incoming Professor of Anatomy Mark Forwood. Associate Professor Barrett said the Institute already boasted sophisticated research facilities such as the high speed 3D motion capture system in the biomechanics lab. A new isokinetic dynamometer for strength testing and peripheral quantitative computed tomograph for measuring bone density and shape have also recently been installed. 2 Health check
Gold Coast joins international MS study Griffith’s School of Medicine in collaboration with the Gold Coast Hospital was the first Australian site to join a large multinational trial of a potential treatment for Associate Professor Simon Broadley multiple sclerosis this year. Alemtuzumab (Campath) is a monoclonal antibody currently used to treat leukaemia and now in Phase III clinical trials to test its effectiveness in multiple sclerosis. Principal investigator Associate Professor Simon Broadley, a lecturer in the School of Medicine and staff specialist in neurology at the Gold Coast Hospital, said the drug’s mode of action was to temporarily remove all circulating lymphocytes. “Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease so by removing the lymphocytes we are effectively rebooting the immune system. The cells come back to near normal within about three months.” He said the treatment regime was an appealing one because it only required a series of injections over five days and a shorter series of injections one year later. Trial participants receive a clinical review every three months and annual MRI to evaluate their progress. Canadian appointment expands research links Nursing researcher Professor Wendy Chaboyer has accepted a prestigious invitation to become the second Frances Bloomberg International Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Toronto. The 12-month appointment in the recently renamed Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing will not only enhance research collaboration between Griffith, the University of Toronto and clinical partners, but also provides new opportunities for two early career researchers. Professor Wendy Chaboyer Griffith’s Dr Brigid Gillespie and adjunct senior research fellow Dr Julia Crilly, a Griffith graduate currently working in a research position at the Gold Coast Hospital, will also accompany Professor Chaboyer on her visit to Canada this year. “Personally this appointment will allow me to work with people I’ve admired such as Professor of Patient Safety Di Doran. However the funding package also gives me the opportunity to help establish Brigid’s and Julia’s international research careers,” Professor Chaboyer said. The first trip will include initial visits to four Toronto hospitals and a series of workshops to identify local quality, safety and improvement activities with the potential to be formalised into research projects. “Local solutions can be good but we need high quality research to show whether those solutions have universal application. Initially our research will focus on patient safety in acute and critical care settings, but long-term these connections will also foster other research as well,” she said. Professor Chaboyer said there was much to be gained from expanding links between Griffith’s Research Centre for Clinical and Community Practice Innovation, the School of Nursing and Midwifery and the more established Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing. “For example, Toronto researchers use a lot of IT support such as hand-held PDAs at the point of care. I’ll be interested in more exposure to these sorts of tools to access clinical guidelines or to assist in patient handover, a particular research interest of mine.” Software to ease emergency department bottlenecks A new software package, the Patient Admission Prediction Tool (PAPT), has been shown to help hospital emergency departments predict demand on their services. The development of the PAPT, led by the Australian e-Health Research Centre, has involved researchers and clinicians from Griffith University, the Queensland University of Technology, Gold Coast and Toowoomba Hospitals. Dr David Green, director of emergency medicine at Gold Coast Hospital and an academic title holder in the School of Medicine, said the PAPT uses historical data to provide an accurate prediction of the expected patient load on any given day. It can forecast how many patients will present at emergency departments, their expected medical needs and the number of hospital admissions. “Accurate forecasting will assist many areas of health management from basic bed management and staff resourcing to scheduling elective surgery – not to mention reducing stress for staff and improving patient outcomes,” Dr Green said. The prototype PAPT package has a simple interface designed in consultation with staff who will ultimately use it every day. Research is continuing to validate the forecasts against actual hospital data and develop the prototype software package into a product that can be used statewide. 3 www.griffith.edu.au/health
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Health Check Issue 19 2008 (PDF 283k) - Griffith University

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