It is with pleasure that we announce our new PREDICT executive members. Charmaine Gray has accepted the research higher degree role on our Executive for 2019 and Brooke Charters has accepted the Research Assistant role for 2019.
Libby Haskell has also accepted the RHD role for 2020 and Amanda Williams has accepted the RA role for 2020.
We’ll certainly have a great team!
Merry Christmas from PREDICT
2018 has been a year of consolidation for the network with a number of large projects reaching completion and continued growth. Thank you to all members and collaborators for helping to bring about the following achievements:
Congratulations to Shane George and the Kids THRIVE team for their successful grant application to the Thrasher Research Foundation which has awarded US$370,000 (approx. A$500,000).
There was great energy at the PREDICT members meetings held at Wrestpoint in Hobart last week.
The meeting presented a great opportunity for our members to present on progress and new developments in current projects, to sound out ideas and to hear the outcomes of some significant bodies of research.
Our guest speaker was Professor Peter Cameron, the Academic Director of The Alfred Emergency and Trauma Centre who spoke about the set up and maintenance of registries. This was a very practical presentation providing lots of ideas for further discussion.
Most importantly it was an occasion for networking amongst colleagues – particularly for those who also stayed on for the PAC 2018 conference that followed. A relaxed dinner at Rockwall Bar & Grill was also enjoyed.
Minutes and presentations will be available on the PREDICT website (members only section) in the coming weeks.
Recently, the Scandinavian Neurotrauma Committee (SNC) published practical, evidence-based guidelines for children with Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores of 9-15. In collaboration with Dr Johan Unden from Lund University in Sweden, PREDICT conducted a study aimed at validating these guidelines and to compare them with other Clinical Decision Rules using the APHIRST data of head injured children in Australia and New Zealand.
Read the full text at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=unden+babl
The PREDICT members meeting will be held in October 2018, aligned with the PAC/APLS conference and held at the same venue.
DATES: Wednesday 24/10/18, 9.30am – 5.00pm & Thursday 25/10/18, 8.30am – 12.00pm
VENUE: Wrest Point Hobart, 410 Sandy Bay Rd, Sandy Bay Tasmania.
REGISTRATION
BOOKING OF TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATION
Our current understanding of sepsis is that oxygen delivery is inadequate to meet the metabolic demands of tissues. Oxygen delivery = cardiac output x haemoglobin x oxygen saturations. As such, our main forms of acute circulatory support aim to increase cardiac output. This study was undertaken to see what effect fluid bolus therapy has on cardiac output. We enrolled patients whose treating clinician diagnosed sepsis, and who was planning on treating the patient with fluid bolus therapy. We performed a trans-thoracic echocardiogram before, immediately after, and 60 minutes after fluid bolus therapy and recorded the images. These recorded images were then interpreted offline by a Paediatric Cardiologist blinded to the patient identity and status pre/post fluid bolus.
Recruitment now closed
This project was a higher degree sponsored by PREDICT. Very excited to be almost finished! The study results have been analysed, and resulting manuscripts submitted for publication. Three of four have been accepted for publication thus far:
The final results manuscript is under review by Pediatric Critical Care Medicine: “Blood pressure and vascular resistance changes following fluid bolus therapy for pediatric sepsis”.
The thesis manuscript itself is in draft form and being reviewed by my PhD supervisor’s. I am planning to submit by the end of November.
I hope that the skills learned from going through this PhD, and some of the results themselves, will lead to future projects within the PREDICT network.
I would like to sincerely thank the PREDICT network for their support with this project, I am looking forward to continued involvement!
Elliot Long.
We would like to invite staff from sites in the Control group of the PREDICT Knowledge Translation Bronchiolitis Study to attend a training day to be held in Melbourne at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne.
The purpose of this day is to share with you the materials and tools used by the intervention sites in the study, that we believe are worthwhile implementing at your site, and to discuss data trends. NB. We originally hoped to have final analysis complete for this day but obtaining the study data has taken longer than expected.
The day will cover the background to the study; knowledge translation and knowledge translation research; how and why the knowledge translation interventions for this study were decided upon; what the interventions were and how we would recommend they be implemented. We will also provide you with the results of the 450 infants you collected data on for this study and how this compares to overall trends.
A draft agenda for the day will be available soon and will be emailed to each site/registrant.
This is a one day event that is only open to staff from sites who were in the control group of the PREDICT Knowledge Translation Bronchiolitis Study.
We would like to invite a total of four members of your staff to attend. They should be from the Emergency Department and from the Paediatrics ward (where bronchiolitis infants are managed). Ideally, a nurse and a doctor from each department, who are both prepared to be clinical leaders for the intervention should attend.
Please note, you don’t need to be a senior staff member or clinical expert to be a clinical leader. Individuals who have a particular interest in improving bronchiolitis management, are keen to organise implementation, work with other staff and keep them informed of progress are ideal.
Monday 12/11/18 from (8.30 registration) 9.00am – 4.00pm
Vernon Collins Theatre, Room 1.050,
Health Education and Learning Precinct (HELP), Level 1,
Royal Children’s Hospital,
50 Flemington Road, Melbourne.
See Map attached.
Attendance is free but members MUST register to attend by 12/10/18 at https://www.trybooking.com/YHWE
PREDICT will cover the costs of accommodation and airfares for all eligible attendees. Parking fees at RCH will be covered for local attendees. Marian Chandler will forward details regarding the reimbursement process closer to the event. Lunch, morning and afternoon tea will be provided on the day however additional meals (including breakfast) WILL NOT be provided or reimbursed.
Taxis: PREDICT will reimburse the cost of taxi fares from Tullamarine Airport to RCH and return, but fares from home to the airport and return WILL NOT be reimbursed. We encourage you to use maxi cabs on the trip from RCH to Tullamarine. Marian will have cabcharge vouchers available on the day for this purpose. Alternatively you can pay for the taxi and complete a reimbursement form and submit to Marian for processing. Forms will also be available at the registration desk on the day.
Airport parking: Fees WILL NOT be reimbursed.
We appreciate your understanding regarding the reimbursement of costs for this event.
Rooms have been reserved at a corporate rate at The Larwill Hotel which is conveniently located within the hospital. Please indicate when you register if accommodation will be required. Marian Chandler will then contact you for further details about IN/OUT dates. Please DO NOT contact the hotel yourself. To reserve your booking you must confirm details with Marian by 31/10/18. If we have not had confirmation by that date the rooms will be released and you will be required to organise your own accommodation.
It is expected that most interstate members will require a one night stay (the night of 11/11/18). If you feel that your circumstances require an additional night, please contact Marian to obtain authorisation prior to booking.
Corporate Traveller, the MCRI official booking agent will handle flight bookings. Please complete the travel request form, making sure to enter flight numbers and clear instructions of departure times required. Email the completed form to Marian.Chandler@mcri.edu.au and Marian will forward your request to the booking agent. You will receive booking confirmation directly from Corporate Traveller. If you have to change your booking, please DO NOT contact Corporate Traveller directly but email or phone Marian to obtain authorisation. If preferred you may also book your own flights and request a reimbursement. Fares must be cheapest available at time of booking.
To get the most from this day, we encourage participation in the full day program which concludes at 4.00pm. Please consider this when booking your return flight, allowing for peak hour traffic and freeway works.
Accommodation and flights will be charged directly to PREDICT if you book through Marian as outlined above. If you do your own bookings or want to claim taxi fares please complete a Reimbursement form 2016-6-03 and ensure ORIGINAL receipts are attached. Photocopies will not be accepted. Reimbursement forms will also be available from Marian on the day. Please lodge one claim only for all expenses by 14/1/19. Claims will not be reimbursed after this date.
Please contact marian.chandler@mcri.edu.au on telephone 03 9936 6049 or your site contact (Sharon, Libby or Cate).
PARIS II – Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure aged 1-4 years
(Paediatric Acute Respiratory Intervention Studies)
Study commenced December 15th 2018
No significant issues with processes, eCRF, or site recruitment.
Great news that we now have 6 centres enrolling following completion of all education.
In the month of August 2018, we have been successful in getting our first regional centre up and running with another two regional centres starting in the next month in South East Qld.
All other metropolitan and tertiary centres currently recruiting are performing well. Winter has not been as kind to the study as we’d have liked with enrolment, but this is obviously better for the children to stay out of hospital! We have had slower recruitment than what we originally expected overall and keep watching and observing the seasonal changes in each of our countries/States.
….. Next month we feature Sepsis: Elliot Long.
Our “Getting to know you” segment ensures PREDICT members are aware of new members, their interests and areas of expertise and where they are located. This month we introduce Sophie Watkins from Sydney Children’s Hospital.
“I work as a Clinical Nurse Specialist within the Emergency Department at SCH Randwick. SCH ED is a tertiary referral centre providing specialised paediatric emergency care to newborns through to adolescents from across NSW and beyond.
Working both clinically and within the research role I am interested in Emergency Best Practice Research and hope to explore more research based in our ED to better the outcomes for our patients.”
