ED staff collaborate on inter-hospital fracture care research
AKG Research Coordinator Associate Professor Dale Edgar is one of the EMHS staff involved in the fracture care research study.
As part of a recent initiative to refine emergency department (ED) fracture treatment practices, East Metropolitan Health Service (EMHS) staff have been actively engaged in a collaborative research project involving seven metropolitan EDs.
Led by South Metropolitan Health Service’s (SMHS) Musculoskeletal ED Diversion Clinic Leader and Advanced Scope Physiotherapist Piers Truter, the aim is to enhance patient care through identifying opportunities to increase the use of evidence-based interventions.
The project, which forms part of Piers’ PhD studies at the University of Notre Dame Australia, has been undertaken in collaboration with EMHS staff, including Armadale Kalamunda Group (AKG) Research Coordinator Associate Professor Dale Edgar, Royal Perth Hospital (RPH) ED Advanced Scope Physiotherapist Sophie Coates and St John of God Midland Hospital ED Advanced Scope Physiotherapist Dr Karen Richards.
Dale acknowledged the great value of RPH, AKG and SJG Midland all actively participating in the study, which focuses on five common fractures, ranging from the little toe to the elbow, thereby aiming to enhance a broad spectrum of fracture management practices across ED settings.
"The research involves a group of fractures, which generally do not require surgery to fix," Dale explained.
"I am very proud of the engagement that Piers has been able to achieve with our ED teams across EMHS," he added, highlighting the significance of personal connections and trust-building in ensuring the success of such inter-hospital collaborative projects and translating results afterwards.
“I think the highlight of this project is the development of a brand-new survey with X-ray images and tailored questions that explore pertinent aspects of the different management of the five fractures – all of which are quite varied in respect to their treatment requirements.”
With the survey responses from all seven EDs identifying variation in practice, Piers is now in the process of devising a plan to improve patient care and experience. East2East will keep you informed once the results of the study become available.