Effectiveness of Health Care
Winner
- Going For the Extra Mile - The aim was to reduce Length of Stay of patients in the Medical Rehabilitation Unit and to increase their rehabilitation outcome so that it is equal to or exceeding the national average in a 12-month period.
Finalists
- Asthma - A Systems Approach. Reducing Asthma Mortality and Hospital Admissions - The aim was by 2002, reduce: deaths from asthma by 60% and hospitalisations (separations) for asthma by 10%.
- Fitness and Nutrition Program - The Canowindra Nutrition and Fitness Program was designed and implemented by the local part time Physiotherapist and Dietitian.
- Improving Aboriginal Perinatal Mortality in NSW - Aim was to improve the long-term health of NSW Aboriginal families by decreasing Aboriginal perinatal mortality with: strong cohesive Aboriginal communities; empowered Aboriginal women; and accessible, appropriate maternal health services.
- Improving Outcomes of Vulnerable Children through Sustained Nurse Home Visiting - The Miller Early Childhood Sustained Nurse Home-visiting trial is the first Australian randomized control trial to determine the impact of a comprehensive SNHV program commencing antenatally in a population group living in an area of known disadvantage.
Entries
- 23 Hour Ward - Through the 23 Hour ward patients are admitted, prepared for surgery, monitored and appropriate pain relief given post operatively before protocol based discharge occurs, within an efficient and effective environment.
- ABLE TO EAT....NO MEAN FEAT - Dysphagia Outcomes in Stroke Patients - In late 2005, Speech Pathologists undertook an innovative study trialling the Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability (MASA, 2002), a validated dysphagia outcome tool for use with stroke patients.
- Administration of Aspirin - There have been several studies that have reported lower than expected aspirin administration given that Class 1 research has demonstrated the thrombolytic effectiveness of this intervention for myocardial ischaemia.
- Ambulatory Stabilisation Program for Newly Diagnosed Children and Adolescents with Diabetes (DDCP) - Program aims are, preventing hospital admissions, reducing length of stay and providing care for children and young people in the best setting for them which is an ambulatory care model.
- Assessing Effectiveness of Therapy Provided by Clinical Psychology in Greater Newcastle Cluster - Routine assessment of a client's progress in psychological therapy is a crucial component in the quality of their overall care, as assessment assists psychologists to determine if changes to care are required or if current methods are working.
- Assessment and Treatment - Aim was to assess the utility of data generated by voluntary reporting of thrombolytic use and assess current care of patients presenting with chest pain. To update prescribing guidelines.
- Collaborative Development of a Portable Cooling Tool - The cooling kits are manufactured from polyester mesh fabric containing biodegradable non-toxic crystals which when soaked in water becomes a temperature retaining viscous gel. After initial cooling in a freezer the kit is placed on the patient allowing effective, indefinite cooling.
- Community Based Chronic Care Exercise Program - Aim is to monitor the effectiveness of an exercise rehabilitation strategy for clients with Chronic Heart Failure (CHF) and Chronic Lung Disease (CLD).
- Discharge Planning: A Consumer Perspective in the Palliative Care Setting - The purpose of the project was to review the discharge planning process from the patient's perspective in the inpatient palliative care service.
- Effectiveness of Smoking Cessation Clinics (SCC) within a Hospital Setting - Providing services that support people to quit smoking far outweigh the long term social and economic costs in health care.
- Effectiveness of the Introduction of an Emergency Medical Unit at Manly Hospital - In an effort to reverse increasing access block, overcrowding trends and provide a new approach to this escalating problem, the NSW Department of Health (DOH) allocated funding for the establishment of Emergency Medical Units (EMU) as an extension of emergency department services
- Evaluating the Effectiveness of the Rock and Water Program with Rural Adolescent Males. - Aim was to engage rural adolescent males in an anger management program that they perceive as useful and that leads to positive behavioural change that are noticed by parents, family and teachers.
- Evidence Based Best Practice Delivered Through a Partnership between Regional Specialist Allied Health Practitioners and a Tertiary Referral Centre - In order to establish and maintain evidenced based best practice standards and to maintain 'reliability' in the use of assessment tools, a Paediatric Physiotherapist working in Regional NSW identified the need to establish a regular education forum for specialist Physiotherapists.
- Families First, Aboriginals & Torres Strait Islander Parenting Workshop/camps Projects - Aim was to enhance the welfare and lifestyles of Aboriginal families by providing culturally appropriate workshops that empower families to explore, strengthen, and make decisions for positive parenting outcomes.
- Implementing a Mobility Enhancement Program - The aim is to prevent decline in functional abilities of elderly patients during hospitalisation for an acute medical condition.
- Improving Clinical Outcomes for Children in the Queanbeyan District Hospital Emergency Department - The aim was to improve the quality of paediatric outcomes in the Emergency Department through use of the clinical assessment form for 100% of paediatric presentations and subsequent relevant guideline within 12 months.
- Improving Dental Health for Clients on Methadone - Aim was to provide an improved approach for managing the dental health of clients on the Methadone/Buprenorphine Program.
- Keeping Children Safe - 'Keeping Children Safe' is a six session community group program based on a psychoeducational model aimed at assisting parents/carers to have greater awareness of child abuse and neglect and its effects.
- Kids on Walk About Upper Hunter School Challenge - A school-based health promotion program was piloted in two Upper Hunter primary schools in 2005 under the Regional Health Services Program (RHSP).
- Medication Error Minimisation Project - Parklea Correctional Centre - The overall purpose of this project is to minimise risk and reduce the potential for adverse clinical events related to patients not being administered the correct medication due to deficient clinical practices in medication administration.
- Mem Fox Regional Tour - Aim was to increase parents and careers awareness of the importance of reading aloud to babies and children and to promote the development of language and literacy skills, as well as positive adult-child interactions.
- Mumsense - The Mumsense group builds on the work of parent educators, perinatal mental health workers and midwives. It offers new mothers a means of continued support in the early months of parenting, in an environment that is both familiar and supportive.
- Oral Health Clinical Peer Review Program - This programme was developed by clinicians for clinicians and enables a more comprehensive approach to clinical governance within oral health.
- Parenting and Mental Illness - An Innovative Pilot Group Program for Parents with a Mental Illness - The aim is to identify and reduce the impact of parental mental illness on parenting practices. To develop and implement skills based parenting program for parents experiencing a mental illness.
- Quality Assurance Audit of Caudal Epidural Injection of Steroids - An audit was conducted of the apparent effectiveness of caudal epidural injections of steroids. It found that very few patients benefited, and only for short periods. As a result of the audit, wholesale use of this treatment was abandoned, and patients were streamed to alternative, ethical management.
- Tai Chi Program - Aim is to increase physical activity in the 50 years and over age group within 3 months. The potential for this is to prevent falls and falls related injuries through facilitating improved balance, flexibility, fitness and muscle strength.
- Tiers Without Tears - The purpose of this system was to improve skill mix and provide a distinct career and education path for the staff to follow.
- Use of High Flow Humidified Air in Cancer Ratients at Risk of Developing Treatment Related Mucositis - The aim was to evaluate the MR880 humidification system in cancer patients receiving treatment.
- Vaccination with Intradermal Recombinant Hepatitis B Vaccine in Health Care Workers - Following review of a study on the effect of intradermal Hepatitis B vaccinations, RPAH developed a proposal to trial the use of intradermal Hep B vaccinations for staff that did not respond to the intramuscular vaccinations.
- Women's Wisdom: a Group About Domestic Violence - We developed Women's Wisdom as a complete therapeutic group work package that takes the work out of setting up, running, evaluating, improving and re-running a women's domestic violence group.
- Wound Management - Aim was to have: Better wound management care through education; Reduce the amount of on site; Reduce the length of stay.
- Yuwaalaraay Yingarr Guumali - The Indigenous Women's Leadership Program in Canberra prompted a local project in Goodooga that would empower young Yuwaalaraay women to take charge of their lives by increasing their self respect.
