The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) and the HCF Research Foundation have awarded $120,000 in research grants to two groups who will use technological innovation to achieve ground-breaking research in primary care.
The RACGP Foundation and HCF Research Foundation co-fund two research grants every year with the aim of developing practical applications that improve patient access to health services.
Seventeen grant applications from general practitioners and general practice registrars were received this year and the two successful applicants and their topics of research are:
- Dr Tejas (TJ) Kanhere and Scientia Professor Mark Harris, University of New South Wales (UNSW) - Accelerometers in Monitoring Physical Activity in Primary Care (AMPACe)
- Professor Moyez Jiwa, University of Notre Dame (Melbourne Clinical School), co-investigators Dr Alan Leeb, Dr Jonathan Darby - Informing policy for patients who have been prescribed antibiotics for an upper respiratory tract infection
Both of the winning proposals included innovative technological applications.
Dr Tejas Kanhere and Scientia Prof. Mark Harris, from UNSW, identified a practice issue in monitoring and managing physical inactivity in patients. The study aims to use accelerometers, or activity trackers worn on the wrist, to provide both real-time and historical data given as a step count. The study hopes to demonstrate accelerometers can be a useful tool in promoting physical activity for at-risk patients with a body mass index of 25 and above.
The second grant, awarded to Prof. Jiwa, Dr Leeb and Dr Darby, will use technology for practice monitoring and management in relation to Upper Respiratory Tract Infections (URTIs). The grant recipients identified that URTIs are a difficult condition for GPs to manage patients’ correct administration of antibiotics. Their study will facilitate real-time surveillance of patients from 10 general practices who have been prescribed antibiotics for an URTI, with the ultimate aim to enhance the evidence-based policy on deferred antibiotic prescribing for self-limiting URTIs and also reduce the number of people prescribed antibiotics inappropriately.
“The role of general practice and research is as important as ever and these grants aim to galvinise developments which will ultimately support general practitioners in delivering the highest level of quality health care” Professor Peter Mudge, RACGP Foundation Patron said.
“With a timely focus on technological innovation, our winners this year are testament to the commitment to ongoing improvement in health care practice. The HCF Research Foundation looks forward to seeing the outcomes” HCF Research Foundation Chair Lisa McIntyre said.