Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District Allied Health researchers Dr Laura Kirsten, Dr Sviatlana Kamarova and Anwar Hassan have been awarded prestigious Implementation Science Pilot Grants through Sydney Health Partners.
Dr Sviatlana Kamarova (fourth from left) along with Implementation Science Pilot Grant recipients
Under two separately funded projects, our researchers were among 10 projects from 22 applications awarded funding.
The NBMLHD based projects will investigate important clinical issues including the effectiveness of virtual prehabilitation in surgical patients and the development of a bereavement model of care in respiratory patients.
Dr Sviatlana Kamarova and Anwar Hassan will investigate how a telehealth model of prehabilitation can support improved outcomes for patients undergoing major abdominal and thoracic surgery.
The team will conduct a randomised controlled trial to compare tele-prehabilitation to face-to-face prehabilitation. This project will provide the evidence needed to understand whether tele-prehabilitation is safe and effective.
Dr Laura Kirsten, Principal Psychologist for NBMLHD in partnership with colleagues at Sydney University will use a co-design approach to develop a tailored bereavement model for patients being treated by respiratory services at Nepean Hospital.
This project will help to improve bereavement policy and practice in Australia and reduce the psychological burden for those experiencing loss.
The grants were announced at the Sydney Health Partners Annual Forum, which took place on 19 July at the University of Sydney’s Susan Wakil Health Building.
Dr Kamarova was also named a Sydney Health Partners Fellow of the Academy of Implementation Science.