Medicine (RMH) - Research Publications

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    Denosumab for the treatment and prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis
    Bennett, TG ; Le Marshall, K ; Khan, F ; Wark, JD ; Brand, C (Wiley, 2021-05-17)
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    Evaluation of IMproving Palliative care Education and Training Using Simulation in Dementia (IMPETUS-D) a staff simulation training intervention to improve palliative care of people with advanced dementia living in nursing homes: a cluster randomised controlled trial
    Tropea, J ; Nestel, D ; Johnson, C ; Hayes, BJ ; Hutchinson, AF ; Brand, C ; Le, BH ; Blackberry, I ; Caplan, GA ; Bicknell, R ; Hepworth, G ; Lim, WK (BMC, 2022-02-14)
    BACKGROUND: People with dementia have unique palliative and end-of-life needs. However, access to quality palliative and end-of-life care for people with dementia living in nursing homes is often suboptimal. There is a recognised need for nursing home staff training in dementia-specific palliative care to equip them with knowledge and skills to deliver high quality care. OBJECTIVE: The primary aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of a simulation training intervention (IMPETUS-D) aimed at nursing home staff on reducing unplanned transfers to hospital and/or deaths in hospital among residents living with dementia. DESIGN: Cluster randomised controlled trial of nursing homes with process evaluation conducted alongside. SUBJECTS & SETTING: One thousand three hundred four people with dementia living in 24 nursing homes (12 intervention/12 control) in three Australian cities, their families and direct care staff. METHODS: Randomisation was conducted at the level of the nursing home (cluster). The allocation sequence was generated by an independent statistician using a computer-generated allocation sequence. Staff from intervention nursing homes had access to the IMPETUS-D training intervention, and staff from control nursing homes had access to usual training opportunities. The predicted primary outcome measure was a 20% reduction in the proportion of people with dementia who had an unplanned transfer to hospital and/or death in hospital at 6-months follow-up in the intervention nursing homes compared to the control nursing homes. RESULTS: At 6-months follow-up, 128 (21.1%) people with dementia from the intervention group had an unplanned transfer or death in hospital compared to 132 (19.0%) residents from the control group; odds ratio 1.14 (95% CI, 0.82-1.59). There were suboptimal levels of staff participation in the training intervention and several barriers to participation identified. CONCLUSION: This study of a dementia-specific palliative care staff training intervention found no difference in the proportion of residents with dementia who had an unplanned hospital transfer. Implementation of the intervention was challenging and likely did not achieve adequate staff coverage to improve staff practice or resident outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR): ACTRN12618002012257 . Registered 14 December 2018.
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    Simulation training in non-cancer palliative care for healthcare workers: a systematic review of controlled studies
    Tropea, J ; Bicknell, R ; Nestel, D ; Brand, CA ; Johnson, CE ; Paul, SK ; Le, BH ; Lim, WK (BMJ PUBLISHING GROUP, 2021-06)
    BACKGROUND: The need for healthcare workers (HCWs) to have skills and knowledge in non-cancer palliative care has been recognised. Simulation is increasingly being used for palliative care training, offering participants the opportunity to learn in a realistic environment and fully interactive way. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this systematic review was to summarise and critically appraise controlled studies on simulation training in non-cancer palliative care for HCWs. SELECTION: Medline, CINAHL, PubMed and Cochrane Library databases were searched using palliative care and simulation terms. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs), non-randomised RCTs and controlled before-and-after (CBA) studies were included. Two reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts and undertook full article review using predefined selection criteria. Studies that met the inclusion criteria had data extracted and risk of bias assessed using the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care risk of bias criteria. FINDINGS: Five articles were included: three RCTs and two CBA studies. All studies assessed learners' palliative care communication skills, most studies evaluated learners' perception of change in skills and one study assessed impact on patient outcomes and learners' change in behaviour when applied in practice. There was variation in intervention content, intensity and duration, outcome measures and study design, making it difficult to compare and synthesise results. CONCLUSION: There is a paucity of evidence to support simulation training to improve non-cancer palliative care. This review highlights the need for more robust research, including multicentre studies that use standardised outcome measures to assess clinician skills, changes in clinical practice and patient-related outcomes.