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How RACGP Foundation seed funding blossomed into MRFF grant
What started as a small, GP-led diabetes research project recently received close to $1 million to expand into other areas of chronic disease.
In total, over $700k in funding from the RACGP Foundation and partners is available for projects by GP-led research teams.
Just under two years ago, Dr Hannah Woodall was celebrating.
The GP-researcher had just been awarded a 2022 RACGP Foundation/Diabetes Australia Research Grant for her project investigating ways to improve collaborative goal setting for the self-management of type 2 diabetes within general practice.
She told newsGP the $59,170 grant supported a project that set out to not only understand the current goal-setting process in general practice for this cohort, but also explore the ‘quality, person-centredness and effectiveness’ of goal-setting activities.
‘Our findings revealed the goals set in general practice were frequently evidence based but with improvements needed in person-centredness,’ Dr Woodall said.
‘Patients identified that they valued positive reinforcement from a trusted GP in setting and achieving goals. However, they experienced challenges related to motivation, ownership of goals and limited health funding, which impacted on their ability to achieve the identified goals.’
Not only did the findings highlight the need for improved collaborative goal-setting approaches, particularly in the context of managing type 2 diabetes, but they also acted as a stepping stone to something bigger – a $938,000 Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) grant.
‘The insights gained through [this] funded project demonstrated the need to develop tools to enable greater person-centred goal setting in general practice,’ Dr Woodall said.
‘The MRFF-funded project aims to co-design a culturally safe goal-setting tool to enable GPs to effectively engage with patients in managing chronic diseases and to enable the setting of person-centred management goals.
‘This project has been widened to include any chronic diseases to recognise the importance of goal setting in managing different chronic diseases, and recognising that, for many patients, more than one chronic disease impacts on their health.’
In recognition of the ‘need for quality and culturally safe chronic disease care to achieve health equity in Australia’, Dr Woodall adds that the new project will also focus specifically on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations.
Currently based in Toowoomba, Queensland, Dr Woodall is working in general practice research with Rural Medical Education Australia alongside a team working within the fields of cultural safety, medical education and chronic disease management in general practice.
She has recently commenced a PhD, and exploring culturally safe goal setting will form the basis of this degree.
Dr Hannah Woodall’s latest research project builds on a recent RACGP Foundation-funded project on collaborative goal setting for managing type 2 diabetes.
Dr Woodall is hoping her research will find ways to help GPs work with patients to set goals for chronic disease management.
‘We know that self-management support is vital to effective chronic disease care,’ she said.
‘However, the restraints of general practice, including the time available and funding limitations, can make this process incredibly challenging.
‘On the other hand, we know the continuity of relationship that patients have with their GPs makes this the ideal place for goal setting to occur.
‘Our aim is to work with GPs and patients to find ways to set person-centred goals within a general practice setting.’
The RACGP Foundation, alongside various partners, has earmarked more than $700,000 in funding for its 2024 grant round, which opened 1 March.
Expressions of interest for the large and major grants, offering up to $199,999 in partnership with the HCF Research Foundation and Therapeutic Guidelines Limited, are open until 2 April. Major grants of $250,000 are also being offered this year in partnership with the nib foundation.
Expressions of interest for the RACGP Foundation’s large and major round grants are now open until 2 April, with small and medium grants open until 1 May. More information and how to apply is available on the RACGP website.
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chronic disease management general practice research goal setting RACGP Foundation research grant type 2 diabetes
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