Mental Health
Australian Mental Health Outcomes and Classification Network
Funding Body: Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing
Chief Investigators: Philip Burgess (University of Queensland) and Jane Pirkis
Description: This project involves analysis, reporting and development component of a national project designed to provide leadership in the development of outcomes and casemix concepts in mental health.
Evaluation of the Access to Allied Psychological Services Component of the Better Outcomes in Mental Health Care Program
Funding Body: Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing
Chief Investigators: Jane Pirkis, Grant Blashki and Philip Burgess (University of Queensland)
Other Investigators: Belinda Morley, Fay Kohn and Lucio Naccarella
Description: This project involves providing evaluation support to Divisions of General Practice that are conducting Access to Allied Health Services projects, and synthesising the findings from local evaluation reports and a purpose-designed minimum dataset.
Reducing Depression and Suicide amongst Older Australians: A Cluster Randomised Clinical Trial in Primary Health Care
Funding Body: National Health and Medical Research Council
Chief Investigators: Osvaldo Almeida (University of Western Australia), Jon Pfaff (University of Western Australia), Ngaire Kerse (University of Auckland), John Snowdon (University of Sydney), Robert Goldney (University of Adelaide)
Other Investigators: Shelby Williamson
Description: This project involves a randomised controlled trial examining whether an educational intervention targeting Australian general practitioners (GPs) can reduce the prevalence of depression, suicide ideation and self-harm behaviour in older patients.
Health Risk Screeing of Adolescents in Primary Care: A Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial
Funding Bodies: Australian Health Ministers’ Conference – Priority Driven Research Program, Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute, and Victorian Centre of Excellence in Depression and Related Disorders
Chief Investigators: Lena Sanci (Department of General Practice, University of Melbourne), Jane Pirkis, Susan Sawyer (Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne), George Patton (Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne), Alan Shiell (Centre for Health Economics, Monash University), Kelsey Hegarty (Department of General Practice, University of Melbourne), Elizabeth Patterson (School of Nursing, Griffith University), Patty Chondra (Department of General Practice, University of Melbourne)
Description: This project involves a randomised controlled trial of an opportunistic health-risk screening and counselling intervention for youth presenting to general practitioners. It includes an economic evaluation and an additional, stand-alone component that involves designing and piloting a general practice nurse-led intervention for improving pathways to care for youth at risk of depression and related disorders.
Monitoring Media Reporting of Suicide and Mental Illness
Funding Body: Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing
Chief Investigators: Jane Pirkis, Warwick Blood (University of Canberra) Philip Burgess (University of Queensland), Cath Francis and Andrew Dare
Description: This project aims to determine whether the nature and quality of media reporting of suicide and mental illness has improved between 2000-01 and 2006-07.
An evaluation of the new Medicare Benefits Schedule psychologist item numbers: Impacts for psychologists and their patients.
Funding Body: Australian Rotary Health Research Fund
Chief Investigators: Jane Pirkis, Philip Burgess (University of Queensland), Harvey Whiteford (University of Queensland), Grant Blashki (Department of General Practice, The University of Melbourne), Lyn Littlefield (Australian Psychological Society)
Description: This project will evaluate the uptake of new Medicare Benefits Schedule item numbers which provide rebates for psychologists’ services. The evaluation will consider whether the item numbers are achieving their aim of providing improved access to high quality mental health care for Australians.