More than $7.5m awarded to general practice research

GPs have shared in $7.58 million aimed at supporting research across a range of health issues, including breathlessness, aged care, opioid dependence treatment, and insomnia.
 
The grants were included in the latest round of allocations from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF), which handed out nearly $230 million to 110 projects across the country.
 
Upon announcing the successful recipients, Federal Health and Aged Care Minister Mark Butler said the support will help Australia’s researchers to discover new ways to tackle a raft of health and medical issues.
 
‘Emerging researchers will be helped to develop their skills and grow their careers in Australia, while promising new treatments will get to market earlier and fulfil their promise of new hope for Australian patients,’ he said.
 
The Minister’s office said funding support clinical trials to test the effectiveness and safety of new medical treatments, as well as include encourage collaboration with international researchers.
 
Dr Tim Tse, Vice-Chair of RACGP Expert Committee – Research, told newsGP he is pleased to see some of the MRFF funding being allocated to general practice.
 
‘In particular, a stream of funding led by a specialist GP recognises that primary care research needs to incorporate GPs to ask the right questions and find the right answers for patients,’ he said. 
 
‘This investment from the MRFF will help the GP academic workforce to develop and find meaningful research outcomes to be incorporated into the clinical general practice setting.’ 
 
One of the successful projects is being headed up by the University of Melbourne’s Professor Jane Gunn, whose research into optimising and implementing Link-Me Care Navigation into general practice settings received $1.2 million.
 
The project, which involves the use of a purpose-built decision support tool to systematically identify and provide tailored treatment recommendations to patients with low and high levels of mental health needs, is aimed at producing clinical and cost benefits relative to usual care.
 
‘Mental health is such an important area, and we need to bring new models of care to help primary care to do better,’ Professor Gunn told newsGP. 
 
‘It is therefore a delight to have received this funding from the MRFF, which will assist us to progress and improve the delivery of mental health care in our communities.’
 
According to Professor Gunn, Link-Me Plus will see key pieces of research, conducted over many years, come together for translation into real-world general practice.
 
‘We will co-design ways to embed the Link-Me model of care into general practice, with input from experts across digital, data, clinical and lived experience sectors,’ she said.
 
‘Link-Me aims to help people navigate the mental health system in a way that offers the right level of support based on a person’s mental health prognosis.
 
‘We have evidence from a gold standard randomised-controlled trial which showed benefit for people seeking mental health care via the GP, [and a] primary care clinician-led team of established and emerging GP researchers working alongside lived experience and academic colleagues.
 
‘We also receive support from the Translating Research Outcomes in the Primary Health Interface [TROPHI] team, which brings together the RACGP, Melbourne and Monash universities and local community, to deliver on translating research outcomes into practice to make a difference for our patients and communities.’
 
Grant recipients
The general practice and residential aged care study of virtual care models (The Grace-VC Study): Implementing safe, person-centred virtual care for residents
University of Sydney
$1,468,436.37
 
Creating and maintaining links for people in opioid dependence treatment
University of Sydney
$1,466,168.84
 
Chronic insomnia: Comparing the effectiveness of interventions utilising digital health in priority populations
Bond University
$1,319,463.24
 
Link-Me Plus: A study to optimise and implement Link-Me Care Navigation into primary care general practice
University of Melbourne
$1,220,720.93
 
BREATHE SMART: Breathlessness Rapid Evaluation And THErapy – Screening, Management And IntegRated Technology
University of Notre Dame
$1,178,798.59
 
Enhancing the involvement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in goal-setting as part of general practice chronic disease management planning and routine health assessments through the development of a culturally safe goal-setting tool
Rural Medical Education Australia
$938,007.14
 
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