School of Mathematics and Statistics - Research Publications

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    Implementing a choice of pulmonary rehabilitation models in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (HomeBase2 trial): protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial
    Holland, AE ; Jones, AW ; Mahal, A ; Lannin, NA ; Cox, N ; Hepworth, G ; O'Halloran, P ; McDonald, CF (BMJ PUBLISHING GROUP, 2022-04)
    INTRODUCTION: There is compelling evidence that either centre-based or home-based pulmonary rehabilitation improves clinical outcomes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). There are known health service and personal barriers which prevent potentially eligible patients from accessing the benefits of pulmonary rehabilitation. The aim of this hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial is to examine the effects of offering patients a choice of pulmonary rehabilitation locations (home or centre) compared with offering only the traditional centre-based model. METHOD AND ANALYSIS: This is a two-arm cluster randomised, controlled, assessor-blinded trial of 14 centre-based pulmonary rehabilitation services allocated to intervention (offering choice of home-based or centre-based pulmonary rehabilitation) or control (continuing to offer centre-based pulmonary rehabilitation only), stratified by centre-based programme setting (hospital vs non-hospital). 490 participants with COPD will be recruited. Centre-based pulmonary rehabilitation will be delivered according to best practice guidelines including supervised exercise training for 8 weeks. At intervention sites, the home-based pulmonary rehabilitation will be delivered according to an established 8-week model, comprising of one home visit, unsupervised exercise training and telephone calls that build motivation for exercise participation and facilitate self-management. The primary outcome is all-cause, unplanned hospitalisations in the 12 months following rehabilitation. Secondary outcomes include programme completion rates and measurements of 6-minute walk distance, chronic respiratory questionnaire, EQ-5D-5L, dyspnoea-12, physical activity and sedentary time at the end of rehabilitation and 12 months following rehabilitation.Direct healthcare costs, indirect costs and changes in EQ-5D-5L will be used to evaluate cost-effectiveness. A process evaluation will be undertaken to understand how the choice model is implemented and explore sustainability beyond the clinical trial. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Alfred Hospital Ethics Committee has approved this protocol. The trial findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals, submitted for presentation at conferences and disseminated to patients across Australia with support from national lung charities and societies. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04217330.
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    Teaching Radial Endobronchial Ultrasound with a Three-Dimensional-printed Radial Ultrasound Model
    Ridgers, A ; Li, J ; Coles-Black, J ; Jiang, M ; Chen, G ; Chuen, J ; McDonald, CF ; Hepworth, G ; Steinfort, DP ; Irving, LB ; Wallbridge, P ; Jennings, BR ; Phan, N ; Leong, TL (AMER THORACIC SOC, 2021-12)
    BACKGROUND: Peripheral pulmonary lesion (PPL) incidence is rising because of increased chest imaging sensitivity and frequency. For PPLs suspicious for lung cancer, current clinical guidelines recommend tissue diagnosis. Radial endobronchial ultrasound (R-EBUS) is a bronchoscopic technique used for this purpose. It has been observed that diagnostic yield is impacted by the ability to accurately manipulate the radial probe. However, such skills can be acquired, in part, from simulation training. Three-dimensional (3D) printing has been used to produce training simulators for standard bronchoscopy but has not been specifically used to develop similar tools for R-EBUS. OBJECTIVE: We report the development of a novel ultrasound-compatible, anatomically accurate 3D-printed R-EBUS simulator and evaluation of its utility as a training tool. METHODS: Computed tomography images were used to develop 3D-printed airway models with ultrasound-compatible PPLs of "low" and "high" technical difficulty. Twenty-one participants were allocated to two groups matched for prior R-EBUS experience. The intervention group received 15 minutes to pretrain R-EBUS using a 3D-printed model, whereas the nonintervention group did not. Both groups then performed R-EBUS on 3D-printed models and were evaluated using a specifically developed assessment tool. RESULTS: For the "low-difficulty" model, the intervention group achieved a higher score (21.5 ± 2.02) than the nonintervention group (17.1 ± 5.7), reflecting 26% improvement in performance (P = 0.03). For the "high-difficulty" model, the intervention group scored 20.2 ± 4.21 versus 13.3 ± 7.36, corresponding to 52% improvement in performance (P = 0.02). Participants derived benefit from pretraining with the 3D-printed model, regardless of prior experience level. CONCLUSION: 3D-printing can be used to develop simulators for R-EBUS education. Training using these models significantly improves procedural performance and is effective in both novice and experienced trainees.
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    Home-based pulmonary rehabilitation early after hospitalisation in COPD (early HomeBase): protocol for a randomised controlled trial
    Cox, NS ; Lahham, A ; McDonald, CF ; Mahal, A ; O'Halloran, P ; Hepworth, G ; Spencer, L ; McNamara, RJ ; Bondarenko, J ; Macdonald, H ; Gavin, S ; Burge, AT ; Le Maitre, C ; Ringin, C ; Webb, E ; Nichols, A ; Tsai, L-L ; Luxton, N ; van Hilten, S ; Santos, M ; Crute, H ; Byrne, M ; Boursinos, H ; Broe, J ; Corbett, M ; Marceau, T ; Warrick, B ; Boote, C ; Melinz, J ; Holland, AE (BMJ PUBLISHING GROUP, 2021-11)
    INTRODUCTION: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterised by exacerbations of respiratory disease, frequently requiring hospital admission. Pulmonary rehabilitation can reduce the likelihood of future hospitalisation, but programme uptake is poor. This study aims to compare hospital readmission rates, clinical outcomes and costs between people with COPD who undertake a home-based programme of pulmonary rehabilitation commenced early (within 2 weeks) of hospital discharge with usual care. METHODS: A multisite randomised controlled trial, powered for superiority, will be conducted in Australia. Eligible patients admitted to one of the participating sites for an exacerbation of COPD will be invited to participate. Participants will be randomised 1:1. Intervention group participants will undertake an 8-week programme of home-based pulmonary rehabilitation commencing within 2 weeks of hospital discharge. Control group participants will receive usual care and a weekly phone call for attention control. Outcomes will be measured by a blinded assessor at baseline, after the intervention (week 9-10 posthospital discharge), and at 12 months follow-up. The primary outcome is hospital readmission at 12 months follow-up. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Human Research Ethics approval for all sites provided by Alfred Health (Project 51216). Findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals, conferences and lay publications. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ACTRN12619001122145.