The University of Tasmania's Menzies Institute for Medical Research has been awarded a $5 million grant to conduct research into improved access to high-quality care for knee and hip osteoarthritis in Tasmania.
The grant, awarded by the Australian Government through the Medical Research Future Fund, will be led by Associate Professor Dawn Aitken.
"Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis. It affects one in five Australians over the age of 45, and is a major cause of pain, disability and joint replacement surgery," Associate Professor Aitken said.
"Despite its widespread burden, there are major barriers to accessing high-quality care for the condition, especially in regional areas such as Tasmania.
"The project will use bold system-wide approaches to improve the quality of care and enable better access to care, with a vision to address the unsustainable demand for joint replacement surgery in our State."
The funding will support a coordinated Statewide approach to embed new interventions and digital technologies into healthcare practice in Tasmania. A major focus will be scaling up the Good Life with osteoArthritis from Denmark (GLA:D®) exercise and education program through public and private partnership.
"In collaboration with La Trobe University, we'll expand the GLA:D® program to more than 20 locations across Tasmania," Associate Professor Aitken said. "This will ensure Tasmanians with knee and hip osteoarthritis have access to a program that is proven to reduce pain and medication use and improve function and quality of life.
"GLA:D® has also shown to reduce the need for joint replacement surgery, reducing the burden osteoarthritis has on our hospital system."
The grant will also implement and evaluate two innovative virtual care models to expand options in rural and remote areas. The University of Melbourne's PEAK telerehabilitation program and the self-directed My Knee Exercise online program will be adapted to the Tasmanian context and implemented across the State.
Partner organisations on the grant include the Tasmanian Department of Health, Tasmanian Health Services, Arthritis & Osteoporosis Tasmania, the State's Primary Health Network (Primary Health Tasmania), and Health Consumers Tasmania.
