Annual Report - Northern Health

Our Achievements cont’dGrow and translate education and research strategic Goal 6Investing in our future through the growth and translation of education and research is an important componentof Northern Health’s strategic planning. With construction of the state of the art Teaching, Training and ResearchPrecinct due to be completed in 2013-14, Northern Health’s commitment to knowledge generation will bringsignificant benefits for generations to come. The appointment of Professor Peter Brooks as Executive DirectorResearch and the development of Research Strategy has been a significant milestone in the expansion ofNorthern Health’s research capacity.Major funded research initiativesFollowing in-depth international research by NorthernHealth Cardiologist, Associate Professor Peter Barlis, OpticalCoherence Tomography was first introduced into Australia atThe Northern Hospital in March 2009. There are now over 25centres across the country using this imaging modality to bettermanage patients with coronary artery disease and AssociateProfessor Barlis is at the forefront of leading several multi-centrerandomized clinical trials using the technique. A combinationof grant sources ranging from the prestigious National Healthand Medical Research Council to industry sponsored grantsand more recently a $1M Australian Research Council grant areenabling Associate Professor Barlis, the University of Melbourneand Northern Health to remain at the cutting edge of devicesand techniques to better understand and manage our patientswith heart disease and make future treatments safer.Other major research initiatives underway at Northern Healthinclude:• TREAT-telemedicine trial;• Tele-geriatrics trial with Ballarat University; and• Aged Care Assessment in the Emergency Department withUniversity of Queensland.Nursing research successNorthern Health’s Nursing Education successfully submitted fora number of research grants including:• A grant to evaluate the effectiveness of the traditionalpreceptorship model for the Graduate Nurse Programprogram, in light of changes to the current nursing workforcemakeup at Northern Health which is due to be finalised bymid 2013;• A research grant to evaluate the effectiveness of anadvanced practice course for generalist nurses which waspiloted in 2011 and has now been evaluated with a finalreport currently underway;• Funding for the Clinical Supervision Support Program, aprogram that Northern Health are leading for the NorthernClinical Placement network (CPN), which aims to provide aplanned approach to the preparation of health professionalsin the provision of clinical supervision of students acrossthe Northern CPN network, and has attracted support frommany Northern CPN partners; and• Submission for HWA funds in conjunction with Allied HealthLearning and Research to support our current and futureclinical placement growth by developing the educationinfrastructure to support our interdisciplinary students at TheNorthern Hospital, with installation of modern IT equipmentand simulation resourcesNorthern Health’s Nursing Education, together with AlliedHealth Learning and Research, are also currently representingNorthern Health on the Board of Directors for the Developmentand Integration of Centres of Excellence in Simulated BasedEducation and Training in the North, as a result of a recentsuccessful application for HWA funding. For Northern Healththis means we will have funds to build a temporary simulatedteaching unit at The Northern Hospital, purchase additionalsimulation equipment and have the funds for dedicated EFTover the next 12 months to support the development andimplementation of this contemporary teaching medium forstudents and staff.Allied Health educationIn 2012, Occupational Therapy and Hand Therapy offered“pairs” placements to occupational therapy students fromLa Trobe University. This involved one supervisor takingstudents in pairs. In preparation, a workshop and was held forsupervising staff who were also provided with further educationand support prior to the introduction of the new supervisionmodel. A tutorial program was also developed to supportstudent education opportunities and to facilitate peer learning.In the first iteration, 16 students participated and the feedbackfrom both supervisors and students was extremely positive.A collaborative, best practice competency package hasbeen developed for Tracheal Suctioning, to educate speechpathologists in the knowledge and skills necessary to performsafe and effective tracheal suctioning. The package has beenpublished as a booklet and is widely available for state, nationaland an international conference services to purchase. This isthe first training program for health professionals developed inthis area.32 annual report Northern Health 11/12