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Telephone: 0418 932 798
ABN 26 201 855 900 |
CURRENT PROJECT
1. Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (FH): Inherited high cholesterol affects
1:500 people in Australia and untreated leads to premature heart attack. Although
easy to treat once found, it is estimated 90% of Australian families affected have
not been diagnosed. This research project compares four different ways of finding
affected families across the SW.
Professor Gerald Watts, Chair of Medicine and Director of Lipid Disorders Clinic and the
Metabolic Research Centre, and Professor Jon Emery, Chair of General Practice, University of Western Australia at Royal Perth Hospital have agreed to be Honorary consultant
to the project. The Foundation holds monthly review and management meetings
with the research team at the Bunbury Campus of the Rural Clinical School of WA.
Phase one is comparing the effectiveness of four prospective methods for
detecting cases:
· Patient records from hospital cardiac care units
· Software interrogation of GP databases
· Pathology Database review for very high lipid patients
· A short voluntary questionnaire offered to the community.
This project was funded by the SW community and a major Royalties for Regions
grant. The research will be complete in mid 2013. Lotterywest has made a
support grant to cover the cost of informing the SW community about FH
2. Wellbeing of SW breast cancer survivors. Although the long term survival rate
after treatment for breast cancer is 86% and constantly improving, mere survival
does not equate to happy and stress-free well-being. Internationally non-urban
survivors suffer higher levels of anxiety and depression. Many possible reasons
are plausible but poorly studied.
The Edith Cowan University research team, with the assistance of a Project
Advisory panel drawn from carer organizations across the SW, has interviewed SW
breast cancer survivors from the past five years. The team is defining adverse
factors, recording their experiences and noting their circumstances. New analytic
methods enable the prediction of the likelihood of high risk of depression for new
survivors. This research will provide a vital new tool for carers.
Project Implementation Phase includes:
· A risk assessment tool for community nurses to apply at the beginning of
aftercare
· Self-care information to guide remote survivors where professional help is
not available
· Inform lay and professional carers, especially at community health centres
and nursing posts
· Make results and advice available on the web and for people using
community telecentres
· Provide guidance literature at libraries and local government offices
· Through project advisory panel members reach all carer organizations in
the SW.
