College of Health and Medicine

Hello Colleagues,

We have been busy completing the final phases of our involvement in research into the Victorian FIRST2ACT project, which looks at the impact of face-to-face and web based  simulation training on patient deterioration and care.

In 2015 we joined a research team securing $200,000 funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, Victoria for a research project entitled ‘The impact of face to face simulation and web-based simulation on patient deterioration and patient safety.’

The project team, managed by Professor Simon Cooper (Federation University Australia) is made up of a number of clinical and academic partners from Victoria and Tasmania. The research aims to address patient safety with a focus on enhancing the assessment and management of clinical deterioration.

We have been involved heavily in implementing the program within four Victorian metropolitan and regional hospitals, and undertaking the complicated task of evaluating the impact on patients.

This is world-leading research, with the evaluation of economic outcomes also being supported by a team based in Canada.

We expect that this project will produce rigorous evidence that informs development of cost effective simulation based programs that will positively impact on patient safety.

The School of Health Sciences has an extensive record of publications and grants relating to the enhancement of patient safety using simulation. This project builds on our work and strengthens collaborative relationships that enable us to develop translational healthcare outcomes that will benefit Tasmanians, Australians and populations globally.

If you would like to find out more about our work in patient health and simulation, please don’t hesitate to get in contact.

Thank you for letting us share what we’ve been up to. We look forward to hearing about other activity taking place across the Faculty of Health.

Warm regards,

Professor Leigh Kinsman and Angela McKay

School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health