Evaluation of NHMRC funded research completed in 1992, 1997 and 2003: gains in knowledge, health and wealth

Objective: To report on strategies for, and outcomes of, evaluation of knowledge (publications), health and wealth (commercial) gains from medical research funded by the Australian Government through the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). Design and methods: End-of-grant reports submitted by researchers within 6 months of completion of NHMRC funded project grants which terminated in 2003 were used to capture self-reported publication number, health and wealth gains. Self-reported gains were also examined in retrospective surveys of grants completed in 1992 and 1997 and awards primarily supporting people (“people awards”) held between 1992 and 2002. Results: The response rate for the 1992 sample was too low for meaningful analysis. The mean number of publications per grant in the basic biomedical, clinical and health services research areas was very similar in 1997 and 2003. The publication output for population health was somewhat higher in the 2003 than in the 1997 analysis. For grants completed in 1997, 24% (31/131) affected clinical practice; 14% (18/131) public health practice; 9% (12/131) health policy; and 41% (54/131) had commercial potential with 20% (26/131) resulting in patents. Most respondents (89%) agreed that NHMRC people awards improved their career prospects. Interpretation is limited by the relatively low response rates (50% or less). Conclusions: A mechanism has been developed for ongoing assessment of NHMRC funded research. This process will improve accountability to the community and to government, and refine current funding mechanisms to most efficiently deliver health and economic returns for Australia.

Differences in ethical attitudes between registered nurses and medical students

In this study we compared the ethical attitudes of a group of experienced, predominantly female, registered nurses (n = 67) with those of a group of final year, mixed sex, medical students (n = 125). The purpose was to determine the basis of differences in attitudes that could lead to ethical disagreements between these two groups when they came to work together. A questionnaire developed to explore ethical attitudes was administered and the responses of the two groups were compared using t-tests. Because of the preponderance of females among the nurses an analysis of variance of the gender-adjusted scores for each group was also carried out. On comparing the responses, the nurses differed significantly from the medical students in a number of ethical domains. A potential source of conflict between these two groups is that the nurses were inclined to adopt the perspective of patients but the medical students identified with their profession. When corrected for the effects of gender, the differences persisted, indicating that it was discipline that determined the differences. We recommend that students of nursing and medicine receive ethics education together, and that more open dialogue between doctors and nurses with respect to their different ethical viewpoints is needed in the work setting. This article will be of interest to educators of students of medicine and nursing, as well as to doctors and nurses who are eager to improve their professional relations and thereby improve patient care.

Teamwork in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences: Evaluation of a multiprofessional workshop

This paper outlines a multiprofessional education workshop piloted and subsequently conducted with a cohort of 81 graduate entry students of occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech pathology and audiology. The rationale for, and format of, the workshop is outlined, followed by comparisons between students' knowledge about teamwork prior to and after the four-hour workshop. The workshop was based on a real case scenario of a child with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). Students completed pre- and post-workshop questionnaires about their knowledge of DCD, teamwork and the roles of various professionals and parents; and a post-workshop questionnaire about their views regarding the utility of the workshop, its strengths, and learning outcomes. The evaluation indicated that the workshop was overwhelmingly successful from the students' perspective in: (1) enhancing their understanding about DCD and its multifaceted impact on school age children; (2) developing a deeper appreciation of the importance of teamwork itself; (3) refining their understanding of their own profession's role and (4) developing an appreciation of the role of other professions and parents in working with children with complex needs, and their families. Limitations of this study and directions for future research are discussed.

E-health and the Universitas 21 organization: 2. Telemedicine and underserved populations

Telemedicine activities in underserved communities were reviewed as part of the Universitas 21 (U21) e-health project. A SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) was conducted on 12 articles identified in a literature review, supplemented by expertise from U21 members. The analysis showed that threats include the reluctance of populations to use telemedicine services, and a general absence of infrastructure and resources to sustain them. Opportunities centre around potential research, including cost-effectiveness analyses and quantitative assessments of existing telemedicine services. The great strength of telemedicine is that it can improve access to health services among those most in need. However, its greatest weakness is the lack of evidence supporting its clinical and cost advantages relative to traditional services. This represents an important opportunity for research on telemedicine initiatives among underserved populations.