Funds to prevent falls in EDs
Victoria’s Monash University has been granted more than $1 million by the federal government to prevent secondary falls in older people presenting to the emergency department (ED) with a fall.
Victoria’s Monash University has been granted more than $1 million by the federal government to prevent secondary falls in older people presenting to the emergency department (ED) with a fall.
A multi-centre randomised controlled trial, to be carried out by Dr Anna Barker, received $1,488,315 in funding.
Falls are a leading cause for presentation to EDs by older patients. More than 50% who present to ED with a fall injury have fallen in the previous year.
RESPOND is an innovative post-ED discharge program designed to reduce secondary falls in older people. RESPOND extends current falls prevention research and practice by incorporating patient centred education with behaviour change strategies proven to be effective in the secondary prevention of cardiovascular events.
Federal Minister for Health, Tanya Plibersek, last week announced $7.9 million for 11 Partnerships for Better Health – Partnership Projects including research into medication regimes for kidney transplants, workrelated asthma and cancer, suicide prevention, and mental health disorders in rural children.
Jointly funded through the National Health and Medical Research Council and partners, the grants will encourage alliances between partners who deliver health care services, partners who make decisions about health practice, and researchers who can offer tailored, evidence based solutions.
The Partnership Project partners include Commonwealth and State agencies, hospitals, medical research institutes, and patient advocacy groups.
“Each partner has an important contribution to make and comes to the table to find workable solutions to a set of problems. By encouraging collaboration, we can share our knowledge and experiences and pool our resources to get the most out of research to benefit Australians,” Minister Plibersek said.
