Community-based research takes a major leap forward
Community-based healthcare research has been given a huge boost with the establishment of a dedicated Innovation and Research Centre at Community and Oral Health.
Community and Oral Health Innovation and Research Centre Director Kate Schultz said the establishment of the Centre has been instrumental in supporting staff to deliver more effective grass-roots research and innovation.
“The Innovation and Research Centre, which was established in 2021, is now supporting teams to help fill evidence-based gaps in clinical practice, and facilitate research through supportive education and mentoring,” Ms Schultz said.
“Staff are now reviewing our models of care to identify opportunities for investment and improvement, while applying contemporary knowledge, innovation and research to meet the needs of the community and our patients.
“The new Innovation and Research Centre puts us in a great position to better support evidence-based service redesign and implementation of world-leading community-based healthcare practices and research.”
Metro North has placed greater emphasis on community-based healthcare research with a new centre for research and innovation established. From left, Community and Oral Health Research and Innovation Centre team members Rebecca Hayes, Dr Ann Rahmann, Kate Schultz and Dr Gillian Stockwell-Smith.
As part of the establishment of the centre, several services have been aligned to support research excellence including innovation, research development, clinical assets, clinical evidence, library research and service improvement.
“In addition, we have opened up new local research grants and completed a comprehensive guide to online research, knowledge translation and implementation to support staff in utilising the best evidence to improve service and research outcomes,” Ms Schultz said.
“In the past financial year, we have seen a rapid increase in the number of research grants and projects that are being planned and implemented at Community and Oral Health to support continual improvement.
“Some of these have included a very exciting oral care research collaboration between the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, School of Dentistry – University of Queensland and Metro North Oral Health Service.
“This research collaboration will see improvements to the care provided to intensive care patients through a better oral health hygiene model of care and has potential to be rolled out state and nationwide,” she said.
“In addition, very promising preliminary research investigations have been completed around how virtual reality technology can support patients who have suffered a serious brain injury.
“Evidence-based research has also formed the basis for innovations which are improving access to rehabilitation programs and outcomes for post-hospital cardiac and pulmonary care patients.”
Additional projects focus on improving care by identifying and reducing low value care practices and improving the meaningful collection of Aboriginal and Torres Patient Reported Experiences Measures (PREMs) within Metro North Community and Oral Health (COH) services.
The Community and Oral Health Innovation and Research Centre is also ensuring that Community and Oral Health is developing and supporting its future researchers, project and development officers and service improvement staff.