How HCF’s Research Foundation is making a difference to everyday Aussies

Published January 2023 | 6 min read
Expert contributors Dr Chris Pettigrew, Head of HCF Research Foundation; Janelle Heine, emergency physiotherapy practitioner at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital; Professor Andrea Driscoll, Professor of Nursing, Deakin University
Words by Becca Whitehead

HCF’s Translational Research Grants scheme turns research into action, creating a better hospital experience for all Aussies. Read about six programs helping to shape the future of health.

What is the HCF Research Foundation?

The HCF Research Foundation is a charitable trust that funds research into provision, administration and delivery of health services in Australia. Our mission is to create better health outcomes for our members and all Australians. In 2022, the Foundation launched the Translational Research Grants (TRG) scheme.

One of the main aims of the TRG scheme is to make sure that research works not just in theory, but in real-life settings.

Head of the foundation, Dr Chris Pettigrew, says that funding this type of research improves the health system for everyone.

“A rising tide lifts all boats,” says Dr Pettigrew. “For example, if we develop care models that get people out of hospital two to three days earlier, for example, we can give those beds to other patients who are waiting. If these models can then be adopted by other hospitals, that helps everybody.”

The HCF Research Foundation TRG scheme puts quality health-research findings into practice. In its first year, the program is funding six grants that will make a real difference in Australian hospitals.

“Our goal is for teams to identify research findings that work, and apply it in their context,” says Dr Pettigrew. “It’s about increasing efficiency, reducing costs and getting the right care to the patients who will benefit right now.”

Let’s take a closer look at the current Translational Research projects:

Back pain treatment

Grant program: Reducing opioid prescriptions for lower back pain in the emergency department (Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital).

This grant is targeted towards reducing the inappropriate prescription of opioids to patients presenting at the emergency department (ED) with lower back pain (LBP).

“Lower back pain is the fifth most common cause of presentation to Australian emergency departments,” says Janelle Heine, emergency physiotherapy practitioner at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.

The grant will focus on developing a consistent approach to managing lower back pain in Brisbane emergency departments. This will include increasing patient awareness about alternative treatments to opioids, like exercise.

“[The opioid crisis] is a big cost to the health system. If we can educate patients and get them moving more quickly, and have them know about back pain, they're less likely to present to ED,” says Janelle.

Associate Professor Shaun O’Leary, who will head up the program, says this is a good example of collaboration between clinicians and academics to solve a health issue on a bigger scale.

This grant will contribute to important Australia-wide efforts to reduce the need for Aussies to rely on opioids to manage lower back pain.

Heart health

Grant program: Regional heart health, keeping Australians out of hospital (Deakin University).

This regional heart-health program will focus on keeping more Aussies out of hospital after heart failure.

Heart failure is one of the most frequent causes of hospitalisation for elderly Australians, according to research. Professor Andrea Driscoll says research also shows the rate of mortality from heart failure is 20% higher for rural Aussies.

This project will use state-of-the-art telehealth services to improve rural patient access to heart specialists. The program’s key focus will be making sure the right therapies are being prescribed according to current heart health guidelines, and help patients avoid repeat visits to hospital.

“So often, heart failure patients aren’t on the right medications,” says Prof Driscoll. “We know from research findings that getting patients on the right therapies will improve outcomes.”

This program will provide older rural patients with:

• rapid telehealth appointments, run by in-clinic health professionals
• in-person heart health check-ups
• access to metropolitan cardiologists and nurse practitioners.

The rural heart program will also develop workshops and seminars around heart failure management for heart health professionals.

Pre-surgery options for knee osteoarthritis

Grant program: Best practice pathways for knee osteoarthritis (University of Canberra).

Knee osteoarthritis can severely affect a person’s ability to exercise, work and spend time with loved ones. Total knee replacement surgery is an option but waiting for a knee replacement can take years and knee health often gets worse during this time.

In the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), the hospital system is overloaded, increasing waiting times even further. The HCF Research Foundation is funding a trial by the University of Canberra that will take people who have been referred to have knee surgery and identify those who need surgery as a priority, and those who could benefit from non-surgical support will be provided options like exercise, education, diet and pain management.

Dr Pettigrew says knee replacements for osteoarthritis shouldn't be the first option. “Weight loss and exercise should be a starting point,” he says.

This program is just one of the ways we’re getting the best care possible to all patients.

Preparing for surgery

Grant program: A translational research grant to improve perioperative care pathways (Macquarie University).

The Care Pathways project at Macquarie University Hospital is all about providing a consistent experience to patients. In this project, Macquarie University Hospital will create a taskforce to oversee processes in five target areas:

• joint arthroplasty (a surgical procedure to restore the function of a joint)
• spinal surgery
• radical prostatectomy (an operation for prostate cancer)
• cardiac surgery (heart surgery)
• bariatric surgery (surgery for weight loss).

A key advantage of this project is that it has been successful in the past. In 2020–21 the hospital ran a similar program for hip and knee joint replacement surgery, which created successful outcomes for patients. This program will create better functioning hospital systems that can be applied in a variety of other hospital settings.

Colonoscopy surveillance

Grant program: Value In Care – better colonoscopy care in Victorian healthcare services (Cabrini Health and Monash University).

Improving patient care while minimising health risks is at the core of the programs we fund. This program will focus on creating timely colonoscopy care for patients, in line with current Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) guidelines.

As Dr Pettigrew explains, the benefit of this program will be to reduce unnecessary procedures, which can be risky for patients. “The biggest risk of having a colonoscopy too early is that it's an unnecessary medical procedure,” he says. “The older you get, the greater the risk to your health.”

By reducing avoidable colonoscopies, the grant also aims to reduce waiting times for necessary colonoscopies, allowing Victorian hospitals to better detect and prevent bowel cancer for all patients.

This program will be championed by nurses. It will also focus on getting better information to patients about their colonoscopy procedures. Patient feedback will be key to the success of this project for patients.

Foot care for diabetes

Grant program: Reducing high-risk DFD – Australian guidelines for diabetes-related foot disease (Western Sydney University).

We strive to provide the best healthcare outcomes for all Aussies, no matter what the setting. That’s why we’re supporting this NSW health research grant to improve care for First Nations people with diabetes-related foot disease (DFD) in rural New South Wales.

Every year, DFD causes significant health issues, including:

• around 28,000 hospital admissions
• around 4,400 amputations
• a healthcare system cost of $875 million every year.

Research shows that DFD health outcomes are much worse than the average for First Nations people. This program will support compliance with new DFD guidelines created in 2021 that included guidelines for improving care for First Nations patients. The success of this program will rely on interviews with healthcare professionals, patients and family members to make sure the procedures work in real settings.

This is the first project to focus on best practice DFD care for First Nations people and will inform future NSW health research grants.

Research to improve Australia's health

The HCF Research Foundation aims to deliver better health outcomes and access to affordable, high-quality healthcare when and where it's needed.

Read more about the history and vision of the HCF Research Foundation.