Primary Care Research

Gippsland PHN’s research vision is to facilitate the involvement of GPs, practice nurses, allied health and other primary care professionals in high-quality, relevant research.

Gippsland PHN does not have a dedicated budget for research; however, we are interested in partnership opportunities and securing grants and philanthropic funding that are relevant to primary health care and health priorities in our region. For more information, please email research@gphn.org.au.

Types of collaborations

Research collaborations usually involve universities or other recognised research bodies and include:

  • Promote research study
  • Letter of support
  • Request for data
  • Research collaboration (e.g. partner grant application, subject matter expert input)

Submit your research opportunity application

This application form should be used by applicants wishing to have their research activities reviewed for research support by Gippsland PHN. This application form (and attached documents) will suffice a submission to the Data Governance, Ethics and Research Group. The group meets monthly, on the first Tuesday of each month. To ensure a prompt response to submissions please ensure all questions are answered.

If you require a response to your Research Opportunity Application sooner than this, please enter the date in the ‘Response requested by date’ field and it may be considered for review by the group out-of-session.

Please click here to access the Research Opportunity Application form

Decision making process

The Data Governance, Ethics and Research Group will together assess the Research Opportunity Application submission against evaluation criteria. For each submission the Group will agree to one of the following decisions:

Status Outcome
Approved*
The research opportunity is determined by the Data Governance, Ethics and Research Group to align to Gippsland PHN’s priority areas and the requested research investment is approved.
Negotiation*
The research opportunity is of interest to Gippsland PHN, however, the full research investment as requested cannot be met and a negotiation between the Applicant and Gippsland PHN is required. This may be treated as an approved submission if the Group’s suggested negotiation is agreed to by the Applicant.
Further information required (FIR)
The research opportunity is of interest to Gippsland PHN; however, further information is required to inform the Group’s decision.
Rejected
Unfortunately, the research opportunity is not determined by the Group to align to Research Investment Criteria and available Gippsland PHN resources at this time.
* Gippsland PHN reserve the right to reconsider the Data Governance, Ethics and Research Group’s decision pending further discussions with the Applicant if new information is made available.

Gippsland PHN will endeavour to notify applicants of the outcome of their application within seven business days of the Data Governance, Ethics and Research Group meeting. If a decision is not reached at the meeting the default decision is “Further information required (FIR)” and a member of our staff will seek specified information from the applicant. The Research Opportunity Application alongside the further information will be provided to the next Data Governance, Ethics and Research Group for reconsideration.

Current Research Opportunities

The following current research projects are seeking the participation of healthcare providers and/or community members. Information is provided for reference only. The PHN is not involved in these research activities and participants should contact the research bodies directly with any questions or concerns.

The mental wellbeing of junior doctors working in rural and remote settings in Australia: a cross-sectional survey

This research aims to explore the mental wellbeing of doctors working in rural and remote areas of Australia. Participants will be asked to complete a short online survey (approximately 10 minutes). The survey will include questions about your work environment, professional challenges, and mental wellbeing.

Effect of Yoga on Neurocognitive outcomes in Young Adults with Depression: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of yoga in enhancing cognition (i.e., thinking patterns) and the pathways through which yoga may improve neurocognitive function.

Twelve weeks of free yoga training for adults aged 18—45 years, who are experiencing symptoms of depression will be provided. Participants will receive $150 e-gift card for completing the study assessments.

Menopause and Sleep - Medicinal Cannabis Observational Study - Cannim

Researchers from National Institute of Complimentary Medicine (NICM), Western Sydney University are conducting a study on the safety and effectiveness of medicinal cannabis products for sleep disturbance associated with menopause, as well as other menopause-related symptoms.
If you are a woman aged between 45 and 65 years, are peri-menopausal or post-menopausal, and suffering from sleep disturbance then you may be eligible to participate.
You will have a telehealth appointment with Natura Healthcare Clinic, and if medicinal cannabis is deemed suitable, a doctor will prescribe the appropriate medicinal cannabis products. The study will take about 10 minutes each month over six months.

EMPOWER-SMS-GP Trial – make a difference for breast cancer survivors

The EMPOWER-SMS-GP trial is a national Australian study evaluating the effectiveness of a text message–based health support program for breast cancer survivors, delivered through general practices. The text messages(1-2 sentences each) provide general evidence-based information about staying well, managing side effects and increasing physical activity and healthy eating and weblinks to evidence-based websites and free health programs.

The trial is led by Dr Anna Singleton (University of Sydney) and GP A/Prof Carolyn Ee (Western Sydney University/Flinders University) in collaboration with Breast Cancer Network Australia, McGrath Foundation, and Cancer Council NSW.

Invitation for general practitioners to participate in the research project: Transition of care among elderly patients with heart failure in Australia

The transition to home after discharge is crucial for elderly heart failure patients, who are at high risk of hospital readmission and adverse events. Current guidelines emphasise the importance of the transition of care services for continuity of care, but there is limited understanding of patient and healthcare provider perspectives in Australia. The study aims to gain insights into the perspectives of transition of care services for elderly heart failure patients in Australia and highlights potential areas for improvement. The study can benefit various organisations involved in healthcare delivery and inform Australian policy and practice regarding heart failure management. 

We are seeking general practitioners to participate in this research project.  

  • As a participant in this study, you will be asked to participate in an interview. 
  • The interview will take approximately 20 minutes. 
  • Participation is entirely voluntary. 
  • No identifying information is collected. 

 

If you are interested in participating, please contact s.amin@federation.edu.au 

The project is approved by the Federation University Human Research Ethics Committee. Ethics reference number: 2024-021.

Perceptions and acceptability of the National Lung Cancer Screening Program and factors influencing its uptake among Chinese migrants

Researchers from the University of Sydney are conducting a study to explore clinicians’ perspectives on the factors that may influence the uptake of the National Lung Cancer Screening Program among Chinese migrants. Your insights are valuable in identifying potential barriers and facilitators to the program’s uptake, helping to improve health services for people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds.

Targeting mechanisms underlying loneliness in chronic conditions

We will be conducting a confidential online survey to identify possible factors that may impact chronic disease outcomes, social isolation and loneliness. The end goal of this research stream is to develop an intervention for adults living with chronic disease that targets social isolation and loneliness.

Exploration of resident review/resident of the day processes in Victorian Residential Aged Care

The Australian Centre for Evidence Based Aged Care (ACEBAC) is undertaking research funded by the Victorian Department of Health, that seeks to understand the resident review (RR)/resident of the day (ROD) processes (review and assessments) that are currently undertaken in residential aged care services (RACS).

All public sector residential aged care services (PSRACS) are eligible to participate. Participants will be staff involved in the RR/ROD process who will be asked to undertake a single telephone interview, which should take no longer than 25 minutes.

If you are interested in participating or would like more information about this important research, please contact Associate Professor Jo-Anne Rayner, Principal Research Fellow ACEBAC, at: j.rayner@latrobe.edu.au

doctors in secondary schools program

The paradigm of Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) is changing, with our understanding of transmission and treatment rapidly evolving due to recent research.

A randomised controlled trial by researchers at Monash University and Melbourne Sexual Health Centre (MSHC), published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine, has proven that treating an exclusive regular sexual partner (with a penis) at the same time as providing routine BV treatment, can significantly increase cure rates and reduce recurrence of BV.

At MSHC we are surveying clinicians involved in the management of BV, to better understand their perspectives on the use of partner treatment, specifically identifying any barriers or enablers to be able to guide implementation.

The ethics-approved survey is short and anonymous, with participants benefitting from direct access to links from the MSHC website, to guidelines and resources which support these changing recommendations.