Research / Grants / Consultancies
Projects currently underway at FHBHRU in 2009
The Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing recently announced the submissions to their chronic disease self-management /Lifestyle and risk modification grant scheme. Under this scheme FHBHRU has been successful in receiving funding to conduct the following two projects:
Project 1: Flinders University Inter-Professional Learning Activities for Chronic Condition Prevention and Self-Management Support
Funding received: $199,970 (2009-2010)
The aim of this project is to develop a comprehensive suite of activities designed to embed an understanding of prevention and chronic condition self-management support (CCSMS) across the medical, nursing and allied health curriculum at Flinders University. This activity will contribute significantly to the university’s strategic plans for building inter-professional learning across its health programs as part of the development of the two year multidisciplinary Bachelor of Health Sciences program as from 2010- 2011 from which students will then branch out to individual specialisation. The proposed activities include:
- A pilot programme of experiential learning for students in risk factor self-management behaviour change.
- Development of problem-based learning (PBL) resources for teaching CCPSMS, to be delivered to inter-professional learning (IPL) students groups drawn from across health undergraduate and post-graduate programs at Flinders University.
- Development of the Flinders self-management care planning workshop for fully online delivery of students across health programs and remote sites.
Project 2: Carers supporting people with Chronic Mental Health Conditions- DVD learning resource.
Funding received: $53,566 (2009-2010)
This project will aim to develop an education and training resource to enhance the existing and future health workforces’ understanding of how to work effectively with carers of people with chronic mental health and co-morbid health conditions and risk factors. This would comprise a DVD and a complementary written learning materials for organisations as part of workforce training for multi-disciplinary staff in the field of mental health and primary health care. It would also have potential to be used by universities as part of curriculum design for many health undergraduate and post graduate programs. Carers interested in building their capacity to support their loves ones would also find such a resource of value.
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Flinders Human Behaviour and Research Unit is also undertaking a research project funded by the Department of Health and Ageing under their sharing health care initiative. The project is entitled:
Are patient competencies improved using the Flinders self-management approach?
Funding received: $506,710 (2009- 2011)
The project’s aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Flinders self-management care planning approach in improving patient competencies in the management of their chronic conditions in people attending community based health services in Southern Adelaide. A second aim will be to examine what organisational, health professional and patient characteristics predict improved patient competencies in self-management.
A third aim of the study will be to simultaneously enable the 14 item PIH to be psychometrically evaluated for internal consistency, reliability and factor structure. The 14 item PIH is has been used in practice for the last 4 years and is a refinement of the 12 item PIH. Previous analysis of the 12 item PIH showed high internal consistency and 4 factors describing patient competencies i.e., knowledge, adherence, coping and symptom management.
2007-2008
The Development of an Integrated Prevention and Self-management Program for SA Lifestyle Advisors
(Redevelopment of the Flinders Chronic Condition Self-Management Model)
FHBHRU in conjunction with the South Australian Department of Health has adapted the Flinders Program of Chronic Condition Self-management to have a prevention focus. This will form part of the training for SA Lifestyle Advisers, based in community health services, who are working within the Lifestyle and Risk Factor program. The Lifestyle and Risk Factor program aims to help clients self-manage their lifestyle-based risk factors (smoking, nutrition, alcohol, physical activity and stress) for prevention of chronic disease.
FHBHRU have also almost completed the development of a comprehensive risk factor assessment tool which will be used in the program. This is currently being piloted in two community settings. Training in the adapted Flinders Program and in the use of the risk factor assessment tool is planned for early May 2008.
Funds provided by South Australian Department of Health - $89,400.
A Capabilities Toolkit for Primary Health Care Professionals
Flinders Human Behaviour and Health Research Centre (FHBHRU) aim to produce a Capabilities Toolkit for Primary Health Care Professionals: Supporting Self-Management (the toolkit). FHBHRU will provide a resource for use by those who provide Chronic Disease Self-Management (CDSM) support training and education to primary health care professionals in the field and to students across medical, nursing and allied health courses within the tertiary sector.
It will bring together recommendations related specifically to skills and content of education and training, drawn from two recent research projects that FHBHRU and its project partners have undertaken for the Department of Health and Ageing within the Australian Better Health Initiative (ABHI).
This document will be useful for:
- A wide range of health professional organisations and educators to guide training course development for both entry level and current primary healthcare workers
- Managers in assessing the quality of training offered to their employees
- The primary health care workforce in self-assessing their capabilities and need for up-skilling, and
- Professional accreditation bodies in promoting desired competencies in CDSM.
The Toolkit will provide a structure to support education and training authorities and discipline regulatory bodies to understand, incorporate and implement self-management support for chronic diseases and conditions into the Australian health education and professional development system.
Expected publication date will be late May/early June 2008.
Funds provided by Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing - $31,838 (GST inclusive).
The published report below brings together the key findings, on the needs, gaps and recommendations from all sources of data for the project.
Battersby M, Lawn S, Wells L, Morris S, Wong T, Lindner H, et al. An Analysis of Training and Information Options to Support Chronic Disease Prevention and Self-Management in Primary Health Care: Report for the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing: Flinders Human Behaviour and Health Research Unit 2007. (to access the 12 attachments to the report contact FHBHRU.
Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal Health (CRCAH) chronic condition self-management programme for Aborginal people
The overall goal of CRCAH chronic condition self-management programme for Aboriginal people is to develop sustainable and effective chronic condition management (CCM) strategies for Aboriginal communities.
This project builds on our previous and current work on CCM, in particular through the Centre for Clinical Research Excellence (CCRE) in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health.
The CCRE is a collaboration of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal researchers from the Aboriginal Health Council of SA and Flinders University, in partnership with Aboriginal Health Services in the Eyre Peninsula region of South Australia, focusing on research and capacity development to reduce the burden of chronic conditions among Aboriginal people.
Our CCRE and other research showed that several CCM strategies that are already known to work well in non-Aboriginal settings can be modified and implemented successfully in Aboriginal communities. The CCRE partnership is now keen to build on this foundation, and demonstrate the effectiveness, sustainability and transferability of promising CCM strategies (in particular Care Plans supported by MBS funding, the Flinders Program of care planning based on clients’ own life goals and the LIFE program of peer support for self-management).
This project was developed at the request of and in consultation with our CCRE partners (i.e. the CCRE Board and colleagues from Port Lincoln, Ceduna-Koonibba and Pika Wiya Aboriginal Health Services).
Funds provided by CRCAH for the period 2007-2008 - $532,039
Should you require further information regarding the Flinders Human Behaviour & Health Research Unit's funding, please contact David Agnew.