Improving clinical care to reduce health outcome inequalities
This multidisciplinary health services research program investigates the structure and processes of the health care system and interactions between clients (patients) and health services with the aim to reduce inequalities in health outcomes.
Our research focusses on how a broad range of factors influence interactions between patients/clients and health services.
These factors include:
- clinical, demographic, cultural and socio-economic factors
- rewards or incentives for health services and the people who work there
- biases, assumptions and stereotypes. We seek to identify these factors and issues to improve our understanding of how they can systematically influence health outcomes and ultimately lead to inequity for some groups.
Our work aims to inform evidence-based policy making, highlight comparative outcome research and ultimately improve the health of health service consumers.
Research Team
Higher Degree by Research Students
Research Partners
Our organisational research partners include:
Individual collaborators | Area of research expertise and affiliation |
|---|
Professor Tom Marwick | Director, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute |
Dr Timothy Chimunda | Intensivist, Bendigo Health |
Ms Fiona Faulks | Deputy Director of Nursing Women's & Children's Services, Bendigo Health |
Dr Jason Fletcher | Intensivist, Bendigo Health |
Dr Cameron Knott | Intensivist, Bendigo Health |
Dr Elizabeth Pennington | Paediatric Surgeon, Bendigo Health |
Ms Julie Smith | Registered Nurse, Intensive Care Unit, Bendigo Health |
Dr Marietta Taylor | Senior Dentist, Bendigo Health |
Dr Nicola Yuen | Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Bendigo Health |
Dr Madeleine Ward | Obstetrics and Gynaecology Registrar, Monash Health |
Professor George Braitberg | Emergency Medicine Physician, Royal Melbourne Hospital |
Dr Mark Putland | Emergency Medicine Physician, Royal Melbourne Hospital |
Research streams
Health service delivery and patient outcomes
This research stream investigates the structure and processes of the health care system and the well-being of hospitalised individuals with the aim of reducing inequalities in health outcomes.
The series of projects focuses on clinical, and demographic and socio-economic factors associated with different health outcomes aiming to: inform evidence-based policy making, highlight comparative outcome research and ultimately improve the health of Victorians.
Current projects:
Assessment and management of chest pain in emergency departments
This retrospective cohort study; nested case-control study aims:
- To assess gender and socio-economic differences in the assessment and management of approximately 80,000 chest pain presentations in three Victorian emergency departments (January 2009 – December 2013).
- To investigate socio-economic gradients in admission to specialised care units among hospitalised individuals presenting with chest pain.
Our research partners for this project include Monash Health, Casey Hospital and Dandenong Hospital.
Inequalities in mortality following first myocardial infarction
This retrospective cohort study aims:
- To assess gender and socio-economic differences in mortality following first acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in a five year period.
- To investigate the mortality attributable risk attributed to hospital treating ward among patients diagnosed with first AMI
Our research partners for this project include Monash Health, Casey Hospital, Dandenong Hospital and Bendigo Health.
Obesity, morbid obesity and obstetric complications in regional Victoria
This retrospective cohort study aims:
- To estimate the prevalence of overweight, obesity and morbid obesity in women giving birth in Bendigo Health during January 2010 - December 2016
- To measure obstetric complications associated with obesity / morbid obesity
- To compare direct hospital health costs for normal-weight, over-weight, obese, and morbid obese obstetric populations giving birth in Bendigo Health
Our research partner for this project is Bendigo Health.
Oral health
Current projects
Survival of government subsidised complete dentures in a large population of adult patients in Victoria
This prospective cohort study aims:
- To quantify the survival of sets of complete dentures provided to approximately 122,000 individuals at a subsidised cost by Dental Health Services Victoria (DHSV).
- To assess the effect of various interventions such as relines, repairs, adjustments and single denture replacements on the survival of complete dentures.
- To investigate the association of type of clinician, gender, age, socioeconomic, rurality with the longevity of complete dentures.
Our research partners for this project include the Victorian Department of Health and Bendigo Health.
