HOHSOPSITPAITLA NL ENWESWS
ORIGINS Project update from Joondalup
The ORIGINS Project has just published its 2019 Annual Performance Report, outlining some impressive
achievements.
The decade-long project, which is deemed the largest study
of its kind in Australia, is a partnership between the Telethon
Kids Institute and Joondalup Health Campus, with crucial
funding from the Paul Ramsay Foundation.
The aim is to reduce the rising epidemic of non-communicable
diseases by providing a healthy start to life.
Joondalup Health Campus Head of Paediatrics, Professor
Desiree Silva is the co-lead investigator of the Project and
says that at its core, ORIGINS aims to improve the health and
quality of life of the next generation.
“We are creating comprehensive data and biobanks for
10,000 families over the period of antenatal care to five
years of age,” she said.
“The project is using new science and technologies to
collect and analyse the data and specimens to answer
a range of critical research question.”
Of the 10,000 families the Project will ultimately recruit, the
team has already signed up more than 2,000 families.
18 The Ramsay Way 2019 | 03
Of those, almost 500 have already attended their one-year
clinic appointment.
This includes more than 2000 mothers, 700 fathers and
more than 1,500 ORIGINS babies.
Of those, almost 500 have attended their one-year clinic
appointment.
Other achievements include:
• 12 sub-projects have been launched
off the main project, looking at multiple aspects
• 25 research papers published linked to data and knowledge
within the Project
• Researchers have presented at more than 30 conferences
and community events
• More than 750 local, national and international researchers,
clinicians and consumers involved
• More than 3 million data points collected from participant
samples and questionnaires
Currently, the ORIGINS team, working within sub-project
SYMBA, are collaborating with local GPs to identify and
engage with pregnant women, who are less than 18 weeks
gestation and have a history of allergic disease, including in
the father or siblings, for the SYMBA study.
This study is investigating the impact of the mother’s gut
health during pregnancy on the outcomes of the child,
particularly for the development of allergies.
Mothers do not need to be birthing at Joondalup Health
Campus to be included in the study. To refer a patient, or to
find out more, contact: symbastudy@telethonkids.org.au.
To download the Annual Report simply visit
originsproject.telethonkids.org.au/about-the-origins-project/
New research to improve
end-of-life care at Hollywood
Private Hospital
New research is probing end of life care at Hollywood Private Hospital
to ensure patients and their carers receive the highest level of support.
Over a two-year period, a dedicated research team assisted by Hollywood nurses examined
what sort of care was provided to the patient during their final days in hospital.
Research Ethics Committee Chair Terry Bayliss said: “The research also looked at how the hospital
communicated and cared for the needs of bereaved family members and carers at the time.”
100 medical records were reviewed for clinical information including demographics, cause
of death and care type.
These records were then compared against a validated audit tool developed by the Australian
Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care.
“That basically looked at all aspects of the care and what happened with the care of the
deceased person after death,” Dr Bayliss said.
Another key part of the study involved surveying and interviewing clinical staff and bereaved
family members to gauge their perceptions of end-of-life care.
The research was partly prompted by an Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in
Health Care review of end-of-life care at all Australian hospitals. As a result, the commission’s
National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards now includes measures to address gaps
in processes around end-of-life care.
Results of the study are due to be released in the next few months, but early indications
suggest end-of-life care may be improved by collaborating more with family members, and
supporting staff to improve communication and documentation of care.
Hollywood Private Hospital’s Director of Clinical Services Karen Gullick said: “The implications
from the research are for the whole hospital – not just for palliative care – because people do
pass away in other areas and we need to make sure we provide a consistent standard of care
across the whole hospital.”
The study was made possible through:
• A donation received from Brigid and Ronald W. Woss AM, in appreciation for palliative care
provided to his father
• An industry collaborative grant from Edith Cowan University
• A grant from Western Australian Nurses Memorial Charitable Trust
The research is a first for Hollywood Private Hospital and is being conducted in collaboration
with the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Edith Cowan University.
“The university research team has been absolutely pivotal in this research; we couldn’t have
done it without them. Because of the grants, we have been able to provide some of our staff
with the opportunity to work alongside the university experts, as research assistants. In that
way we have been able to begin building our research culture amongst our nursing staff,”
Ms Gullick said.
New training to help Tamara
patients with Parkinson’s disease
Staff at Tamara Private Hospital are now better prepared to treat patients
with Parkinson’s disease (PD) after recently completing training in the
“PD Warrior” program.
The upskilling will allow staff to deliver the program, which aims to help slow symptoms down
so patients can live, move and feel better.
Tamara Private Hospital CEO Darren Ninness said: “It will enhance the ability to treat existing
patients with Parkinson’s disease, while opening up the opportunity to increase allied health
services offered at the hospital for patients across the New England North West region of
New South Wales.”
An allied health team from the hospital was lucky enough to receive funding through the
Ramsay Health Care National Scholarship Program to complete the training course in
Tamworth, rather than travelling to Sydney.
Ramsay Australia offers scholarships for employees to support study in areas where additional
qualifications are considered an important workforce requirement.
Ten staff were involved in the training, including occupational therapists, physiotherapists,
allied health assistants and an exercise physiologist.
The course included 15 hours of online training and video modules to learn the core exercises
and understand the research, followed by a one-day practical training session with an
instructor at the hospital’s rehabilitation gym.
Volunteer patients and their carers were invited to attend for half a day, to allow staff to practise
their assessment skills, coaching methods and delivery of the group program.
Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurological disease in the country and
affects 100,000 people Australia-wide.
Tamworth has an active Parkinson’s disease support group but there are limited specific
treatment options to complement the medication therapy; it is hoped this program will help
to fill the gap.