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Primary care in Australia is changing. Workforce shortages, the growing burden of chronic disease and an ageing population are the major impetus for this change. General practice must find innovative ways to keep pace with these changes and the increasing needs of ageing consumers. An innovative way of addressing this change and meeting patient’s needs is through the employment of Practice Nurses (PN). International research now shows that having a PN in general practice enhances the range and depth of available services, in particular chronic disease management and can be cost effective.
The aim of this project, therefore is to test, in the Australian environment, a different model of the provision of primary care to patients with chronic disease – that of a practice nurse-led model. In particular, this study seeks to ‘establish the unique, yet complementary, role that the PN has in the [Australia] health system.
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Lead Chief Investigator:
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Dr Diann Eley
Director of Research
School of Medicine
University of Queensland
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Professor Desley Hegney
Professor of Nursing
National University of Singapore
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Professor Chris Del Mar
Dean
Faculty of Health Sciences & Medicine
Bond University
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Associate Professor Elizabeth Patterson
Head
School of Nursing and Midwifery
Griffith University
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Professor Paul Scuffham
Health Economics
Griffith University
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Mr Paul Fahey
Faculty of Maths & Computing
University of Southern Queensland
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Investigator(s):
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Professor Peter Baker
Rural Clinic Division
University of Queensland
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Dr Graham Emblen
Principal Doctor
Koinonia Practice
Toowoomba QLD 4350
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Dr Hume Rendle-Short
Principal Doctor
Koinonia Practice
Toowoomba QLD 4350
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Dr Tony Brown
Principal Doctor
Camperdown Clinic
Camperdown VIC 3260
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Dr Ruth Stewart
Principal Doctor
Camperdown Clinic
Camperdown VIC 3260
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Dr Stephen Barry
Principal Doctor
Palm Beach Family Practice
Palm Beach QLD 4221
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Project Manager:
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Mrs Robyn Synnott
University of Queensland
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Research Team:
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Mrs Jacqui Young
PhD Student
University of Queensland
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Mrs Rosemary Mahomed
PhD Student
Griffith University
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Funded By:
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Australian Research Council (ARC)
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Project Commencement Date:
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February 2007
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Duration of Project:
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3 years
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