The Health Research Council of New Zealand (HRC) has offered more than $650,000 in funding for four research partnership projects that will benefit New Zealand’s health care services in the short term.
These projects are funded through the HRC’s Research Partnerships for New Zealand Health Delivery (RPNZHD) initiative, which involves health researchers working in collaboration with health delivery organisations. This partnering arrangement will help maximise the value obtained from the research funds, increase the potential for success of the project and provide practical solutions to be implemented into practice and/or policy.
Ultrasound scans of the heart have been used for decades to diagnose and manage heart disease. To identify heart disease, a series of measurements are taken and compared to normal reference values. These reference values are based on historic data from the American population (mostly European) but it is now known that people of different ethnicities have different reference values. There is currently no normal reference values for Maori or Pacific peoples, although both groups suffer the highest rates of heart disease in New Zealand. Professor Gillian Whalley at UNITEC Institute of Technology will lead a project that will create a New Zealand reference range that includes Māori and Pacific peoples' values for the first time. This will lead to better diagnosis and treatment of heart disease in all New Zealanders, including Māori and Pacific peoples.
Diabetes is a national health priority due to its increasing prevalence and the costly consequences of poor control, particularly for Māori. Mobile phone-based interventions have potential to support people to self-manage their diabetes and improve their communications with their health care team. Dr Robyn Whittaker at the University of Auckland will lead a study looking at the benefits of a text message-based programme for people with poorly-controlled diabetes. This research will allow DHBs to make informed decisions on the use of technology-based support for self-management.
Gout is a common problem particularly in New Zealand. The majority of patients with gout are managed in primary care. Guidelines for management are well established and there are effective medications to prevent gout, but few patients achieve treatment targets, leading to painful gout attacks and eventual joint damage. Professor Lisa Stamp at the University of Otago, Christchurch has developed an integrated health professional package of care, designed to be delivered in general practice that incorporates education, gout treatment and appropriate screening and management of important co-morbidities associated with gout such as heart disease and diabetes. This package of care will be piloted in a rural general practice setting in Kaikoura, to determine whether more patients reach treatment targets and are screened, and where appropriate receive treatment, for co-morbidities.
With an increasingly aging population, patients have more health conditions and are taking more medicines. GPs have limited time to treat patients and do not often review appropriate prescribing with complex patients. Dr Alesha Smith at the University of Otago will lead a project that will design and test an electronic tool using patient data, e.g., demographics and blood test results, to assist GPs to review medicines and prescribe appropriately. The tool will be developed by BPAC to work with existing patient management programmes and trialled in two GP practices. The research team expect that this tool will be able to assist GP practices in New Zealand in managing patient prescribing, resulting in improved outcomes for patients and for the health system.
Professor Gillian Whalley
UNITEC Institute of Technology, in partnership with Waitemata DHB, Counties Manukau
DHB and the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand
New echocardiography reference ranges for Aotearoa
18 months, $199,974
Dr Robyn Whittaker
The University of Auckland, in partnership with Waitemata DHB
SMS4BG: Self-management support for people with diabetes
18 months, $199,475
Dr Alesha Smith
University of Otago, in partnership with Best Practice Advocacy Centre (BPAC)
Integrating patient data to optimise medicines and reduce polypharmacy
18 months, $178,273
Professor Lisa Stamp
University of Otago, in partnership with Canterbury DHB
Managing gout in the community
18 months, $99,758