Positive ageing research
Our researchers lead and collaborate in rehabilitation and restorative care research to help people make the most of their ageing experience.
Positive ageing research
Our researchers lead and collaborate in rehabilitation and restorative care research to help people make the most of their ageing experience.
Current projects
Analysis of converted ICF-based activities of daily living outcome measure and its comparison to FIM
The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) is a global classification system that provides a common language for describing a patient's health status.
This HammondCare project investigates the development and application of an ICF outcome measure for patients in a rehabilitation ward. It compares the use of ICF with the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) which is the current gold standard in clinical practice.
The feasibility of using an ICF-based MAT to measure change in mobility of patients in a rehabilitation ward
This project assesses the feasibility of using an ICF based Mobility Assessment Tool (MAT) to record the change in mobility in rehabilitation patients. This tool previously has been used to assess mobility in lower limb amputee patients and is being tested for its applicability in other rehabilitation settings.
Investigators will use the tool to score a patient’s mobility on admission and after discharge using the gold standard FIM and the MAT. Variation between the two scoring tools will be assessed.
Validation and confirmation of reliability and sensitivity of the ICF brief core set in stroke patients
This project aims to determine the sensitivity to change of the Brief ICF core sets for stroke in patients in acute and subacute settings.
In this project, researchers will undertake a chart review at four different time points in the assessment of patients who have had a stroke. Any agreement between the scores determined at these different time points will be analysed.
The HIHO Rehabilitation Study
The Hospital Inpatient versus Home Rehabilitation (HIHO) study investigates whether inpatient rehabilitation is necessary after total knee replacement. Specifically, this project aims to determine whether 10 days of post-acute inpatient rehabilitation followed by a home-based rehabilitation program is more effective than a home-based program alone.
This collaborative project is being undertaken and supported by the Sydney South West Local Health District.
Rebuilding meaning and purpose following a spinal cord injury
A spinal cord injury is often associated with severe unrelenting pain which can have a profound impact on a person’s sense of meaning and purpose. The experience of pain, coupled with a sense of loss, can have a major impact on psychological well-being and quality of life.
This project aims to develop a program that rebuilds a stronger sense of meaning and purpose in people with spinal cord injury. Our Pain Clinic has come together with a person with quadriplegia to inform the program design. Funding has been provided by the icare Foundation.
This program is run entirely online and provides resources, interactive group sessions and one-on-one personalised coaching with our team. Using discoveries from the conversations, the Pain Clinic will investigate new methods to help improve the well-being of people with spinal cord injury.
In focus: Pain management
HammondCare’s Greenwich Hospital Pain Clinic has an active research program that contributes to furthering our pain management expertise. For us, it’s an integral part of care and our mission to improve quality of life. Our discoveries provide valuable information for carers and patients in:
This provides us with an opportunity to collaborate closely with our experts across these different disciplines. We strive to develop more effective options for the management of pain and pain-related disability.
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Helping patients recover far and wide
Our Pain Management Team provides a telehealth service for people living in rural and remote areas.
Completed projects making a difference
Developing resources for people experiencing pain
A number of years ago, The Pain Clinic published two books titled The Pain Book and The Spinal Cord Injury Pain Book to help people better manage their chronic pain. These popular books are used not only in our clinic but also in a large number of clinics around Australia. They provide much-needed advice and support for people who are treating or experiencing pain.
Our team has recently developed a new resource for people with pain related to cancer, titled The Cancer Pain Book. This book is accompanied by a mobile app that provides extra information and activities to help people manage their pain.
You can browse these valuable publications below.
Subacute case-mix classification for stroke rehabilitation in Australia
This study sought to answer the question: How well does the Australian National Subacute and Nonsubacute Patient Classification(AN-SNAP v2) explain variance in outcomes?
To this end, we investigated the best predictors for the length of stay, discharge destination and functional improvement for inpatients undergoing rehabilitation following a stroke. These predictors were compared againstAN-SNAP v2.
The best explanatory variable in our inpatient rehabilitation service is the admission motor Functional Independence Measure (FIM), whereas AN-SNAP v2 is a less effective explanatory variable. This needs to be taken into account when using AN-SNAP v2 classification for clinical or funding purposes.
Developing core sets for persons following amputation based on the ICF as a way to specify functioning
The functional impairments caused by amputation include mobility, activities of daily living, body image and sexuality. Classification, measurement and comparison of the consequences of amputations have been impeded by the limited availability of internationally, multiculturally standardised instruments in the amputee setting.
This international collaborative project showed that the Brief ICF Core Set may facilitate international studies and studies comparing the consequences of different conditions. The Comprehensive ICF Core Set can be used in the clinic as a checklist to assess patients' needs, formulate rehabilitation goals and evaluate patient progress.
After a consensus conference, which will integrate evidence from preparatory studies, validation of the ICF core sets will follow with field testing.
Agreement of FIM item scores in patients transferred from one rehabilitation setting to another
This collaborative project aimed to analyse paired measurements of Functional Independence Measure (FIM) item scores in routine clinical practice for patients transferred from one rehabilitation unit to another. project also sought to determine interrater reliability using standard measures of agreement and bias.
Using data collected from 143 rehabilitation patients, researchers found that agreement between the paired score for each FIM item was low and postulated that this lack of agreement may be due to several reasons including:
- incomplete FIM training of some staff
- insufficient attention to accurate scoring
- actual clinical changes
- differences between patient performance in different settings
- scoring variation because of the large number of staff involved in scoring the FIM.
Given that this study indicated only a fair inter-rater reliability of these scores in clinical practice, caution needs to be exercised when using the FIM individual item scores in clinical or funding classifications or in benchmarking.
Practical pain management guides
Collaborate with our team
If you’re interested in more information on our projects or would like to collaborate, please send us a message.