A QUT research partnership improving hospital cleaning methods in an effort to prevent patient infections has received funding in the latest round of National Health and Medical Research Council grants.
The February allocation of the national NHMRC grants also included scholarships for four post-graduate students dedicated to improving the nation's health.
The five QUT recepients will share $894,442.
QUT Professor Nicholas Graves' REACH: Researching Effective Approaches to Cleaning in Hospitals program secured $646,817 817 from the NHMRC and $450,000 from the Wesley Research Institute as a major partner to the grant, to implement and evaluate a targeted environmental cleaning bundle to reduce healthcare associated infections in Australian hospitals.
The study will determine whether a new approach to hospital cleaning, including education, training and empowerment for cleaning staff, is a cost-effective way to reduce the transmission of infections via surfaces in hospitals. The research team conducting the study is based within the Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation (AusHSI).
QUT student Audra Shadforth won the NHMRC's $61,000 Dora Lush Biomedical Postgraduate Scholarship, to further her research into finding a cultured tissue substitute that could be used to repair ageing eyes.
Public health post-graduate scholarships were awarded to:
Katherine Cullerton, to analyse the impact of lobbyists on Australian federal health policy;
Gillies Forget, to design and evaluate a mental health and wellbeing promotion program for fathers from migrant and refugee backgrounds; and
Leanne Brown, to evaluate a clinical information tool that supports patients' decision making for treatment of end-stage kidney disease.
Media contact:
Amanda Horswill, QUT Media, 07 3138 1150 a.horswill@qut.edu.au (Mon-Thurs)
After hours, Rose Trapnell, QUT Media Team Leader: 0407 585 901
