Data Driven Quality Improvement
Our Research
More than four in five Australians visit their GP once per year and two million attend every week. As medical knowledge continues to increase at an exponential rate it is critical that this knowledge is translated effectively into the general practice setting.
Our program aims to facilitate quality and system improvement in general practice using a data-driven and integrated knowledge translation approach. We are a multidisciplinary team that works closely with health informaticians, analyst programmers and other key technical staff to develop technology, study factors critical to its implementation and evaluate its effectiveness.
The program currently has four main themes:
- Future Health Today: FHT is a proactive digital health intervention that uses data from health records to automate the detection of chronic disease and provide new opportunities for early intervention and improved health outcomes. This program is a collaboration between the University of Melbourne and Western Health.
- Torch Recruit: An in-house automated algorithm that eliminates the time and effort normally spent recruiting patients for clinical trials.
- Antimicrobial stewardship: Working in collaboration with the National Centre for Antimicrobial Stewardship we co-design, implement and evaluate strategies for optimising appropriate antimicrobial prescribing in general practice to reduce the development of antimicrobial resistance and improve patient safety.
- Big data and epidemiology: We undertake research using primary care data to describe and evaluate general practice activity in order to inform quality improvement and service optimisation, as well as to develop risk prediction tools that can be incorporated into general practice.
Featured content
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Weghorst, A. A. H., Lawrence, J., Jansen, D. E. M. C., Holtman, G. A., Sanci, L. A., Berger, M. Y., & Hiscock, H. (2024). Enablers and barriers to home management for children with gastroenteritis: systematic review. The Journal of Pediatrics: Clinical Practice, 200115. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpedcp.2024.200115
Weghorst, A. A., Sanci, L. A., Berger, M. Y., Hiscock, H., & Jansen, D. E. (2024). Comparing healthcare systems between the Netherlands and Australia in management for children with acute gastroenteritis. Plos One, 19(7), e0306739.
Manski-Nankervis, J. A., Canaway, R., Chidgey, C., Emery, J., Sanci, L., Hocking, J. S., Davidson, S., Swan, I., & Boyle, D. (2024). Data Resource Profile: Primary Care Audit, Teaching and Research Open Network (Patron). International journal of epidemiology, 53(1). doi:10.1093/ije/dyae002
Mahoney, C., Williams, I. R., Lamb, K., Spike, N., McArthur, L., Magin, P., Bentley, M., Bradford, C., Hiscock, H., Irwin, R., & Sanci, L. (2024). Caring for kids: Australian general practice registrar confidence in delivering paediatric primary care. Australian Journal of General Practice, 53(8), 574-582. doi:10.31128/ajgp-08-23-6951
Loveday, S., Chen, L. L., Constable, L. N., Kabir, A., White, N., Goldfeld, S., Sanci, L., & Hiscock, H. (2024). Opening Pandora's box - key facilitators of practice change in detecting and responding to childhood adversity - a practitioner perspective. Bmc Pediatrics, 24(1). doi:10.1186/s12887-024-04918-5
Hughes, Y., Bilardi, J. E., Chen, M., Chow, E. P. F., Diprose, A. B., Donovan, B., Fairley, C. K., Hewson, D., Hocking, J., Kaldor, J., Ong, J. J., Ryder, N., Sanci, L. A., Temple-Smith, M. J., Towns, J. M., Waring, L., Wigan, R., & Williamson, D. (2024). Multiplex PCR testing of anogenital lesions for Treponema pallidum and herpes simplex virus in primary care improves the detection of primary syphilis. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 51(1), S378-S379.
Bond, S. R., Bilardi, J. E., Chen, M., Chow, E. P. F., Donovan, B., Fairley, C. K., Giarrusso, R. L., Giles, M. L., Hocking, J., Hodges, R., Kaldor, J., Kane, S. C., McCully, B., Ong, J. J., Posma, E., Ryder, N., Temple-Smith, M. J., Tomnay, J. E., & Wigan, R. (2024). Using implementation science to develop an adaptable clinical systems implementation package to embed routine syphilis screening in later pregnancy into clinical practice. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 51(1), S284-S285.
Bittleston, H., Coombe, J., Goller, J. L., Hocking, J., & Temple-Smith, M. J. (2024a). "Mum was disappointed but everyone else was supportive"- experiences of disclosing a sexually transmissible infection diagnosis. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 51(1), S447-S448.
Bittleston, H., Coombe, J., Goller, J. L., Hocking, J., & Temple-Smith, M. J. (2024b). Past sex education and having a usual doctor makes it easier for young Australians to discuss sexual health with a doctor: Findings from an online survey. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 51(1), S446-S447.
Bittleston, H., Coombe, J., Goller, J. L., Hocking, J., & Temple-Smith, M. J. (2024c). Young Australians know less about syphilis than other sexually transmissible infections: findings from an online survey. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 51(1), S373-S374.
Hachem, M., Hearn, T., Kelly, R., Eer, A., Moore, B., Sommerville, C., Atkinson-Briggs, S., Twigg, S., Freund, M., O'Neal, D., Story, D., Brown, A., McLean, A., Sinha, A., Furler, J., O'Brien, R., Tran-Duy, A., Clarke, P., Braat, S., Koye, D. N., Eades, S., Burchill, L., & Ekinci, E. (2024). Can flash glucose monitoring improve glucose management for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with type 2 diabetes? A protocol for a randomised controlled trial (vol 25, 493, 2024). Trials, 25(1). doi:10.1186/s13063-024-08363-8
Carville, K. S., Meagher, N., Abo, Y. N., Manski-Nankervis, J. A., Fielding, J., Steer, A., McVernon, J., & Price, D. J. (2024). Burden of antimicrobial prescribing in primary care attributable to sore throat: a retrospective cohort study of patient record data. BMC primary care, 25(1). doi:10.1186/s12875-024-02371-y
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Chen, K. Y., Jones, R., Lei, S., Shanthikumar, S., Sanci, L., Carlin, J., & Hiscock, H. (2023). Primary health care utilization and hospital readmission in children with asthma: A multi-site linked data cohort study. The Journal of asthma : official journal of the Association for the Care of Asthma, 1-12. doi:10.1080/02770903.2022.2164200
Ke, T., Li, W., Sanci, L., Reavley, N., Williams, I., & Russell, M. A. (2023). The mental health of international university students from China during the COVID-19 pandemic and the protective effect of social support: A longitudinal study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 328, 13-21. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2023.02.014
Holmes-Truscott, E., Baptista, S., Ling, M. T., Collins, E., Ekinci, E. I., Furler, J., Hagger, V., Manski-Nankervis, J. A., Wells, C., & Speight, J. (2023). The impact of structured self-monitoring of blood glucose on clinical, behavioral, and psychosocial outcomes among adults with non-insulin-treated type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Clinical Diabetes and Healthcare, 4. doi:10.3389/fcdhc.2023.1177030
Holmes-Truscott, E., Holloway, E. E., Lam, B., Baptista, S., Furler, J., Hagger, V., Skinner, T., & Speight, J. (2023). 'Is Insulin Right for Me?': Web-based intervention to reduce psychological barriers to insulin therapy among adults with non- insulin- treated type 2 diabetes-A randomised controlled trial. Diabetic Medicine, April. doi:10.1111/dme.15117
Biezen, R., Ciavarella, S., Manski-Nankervis, J. A., Monaghan, T., & Buising, K. (2023). Addressing Antimicrobial Stewardship in Primary Care-Developing Patient Information Sheets Using Co-Design Methodology. Antibiotics-Basel, 12(3). doi:10.3390/antibiotics12030458
Lau, P., Tran, M. T., Kim, R. Y., Alrefae, A. H., Ryu, S., & Teh, J. C. (2023). E-prescription: views and acceptance of general practitioners and pharmacists in Greater Sydney. Australian Journal of Primary Health. doi:10.1071/py22240
Saya, S., Chondros, P., Abela, A., Mihalopolous, C., Chatterton, M. L., Gunn, J., Chen, T. F., Polasek, T. M., Dettmann, E., Brooks, R., King, M., Spencer, L., Alphonse, P., Milton, S., Ramsay, G., Siviour, Z., Liew, J., Ly, P., Thoenig, M., Seychell, R., La Rocca, F., Hesson, L. B., Mejias, N., Sivertsen, T., Galea, M. A., Bousman, C., & Emery, J. (2023). The PRESIDE (PhaRmacogEnomicS In DEpression) Trial: a double-blind randomised controlled trial of pharmacogenomic-informed prescribing of antidepressants on depression outcomes in patients with major depressive disorder in primary care. Trials, 24(1). doi:10.1186/s13063-023-07361-6
Spinks, J., Violette, R., Boyle, D. I., Petrie, D., Fanning, L., Hall, K. K., Kelly, F., Wheeler, A. J., Ware, R. S., Byrnes, J., Chen, E. S., Donald, A., Ellis, N., DelDot, M., & Nissen, L. (2023). Activating pharmacists to reduce the frequency of medication-related problems (ACTMed): a stepped wedge cluster randomised trial. Medical Journal of Australia. doi:10.5694/mja2.52073
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Khano, S., Sanci, L., Woolfenden, S., Zurynski, Y., Dalziel, K., Liaw, S.-T., Boyle, D., Freed, G. L., Moore, C., Hodgins, M., Le, J., Morris, T. M., Germano, S., Wheeler, K., Lingam, R., & Hiscock, H. (2022). Strengthening Care for Children (SC4C): protocol for a stepped wedge cluster randomised controlled trial of an integrated general practitioner-paediatrician model of primary care. Bmj Open, 12(9), e063449-e063449. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2022-063449
Lim, M. S. Y., Hocking, J. S., Sanci, L., & Temple-Smith, M. (2022). A systematic review of international students' sexual health knowledge, behaviours, and attitudes. Sexual Health. doi:10.1071/sh21073
Liu, W., Lim, M. S. Y., Williams, H., & Temple-Smith, M. (2022). Contraceptive decision making among Chinese international students in Melbourne: findings from a qualitative investigation. Culture Health & Sexuality. doi:10.1080/13691058.2022.2112084
Sanci, L., Williams, I., Russell, M., Chondros, P., Duncan, A.-M., Tarzia, L., Peter, D., Lim, M. S. Y., Tomyn, A., & Minas, H. (2022). Towards a health promoting university: descriptive findings on health, wellbeing and academic performance amongst university students in Australia. Bmc Public Health, 22(1), 2430-2430. doi:10.1186/s12889-022-14690-9
Yu, A. Y., Temple-Smith, M. J., & Bilardi, J. E. (2022). Health care support following miscarriage in Australia: a qualitative study. How can we do better? Australian Journal of Primary Health. doi:10.1071/py21090
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Brown, C., Sanci, L., & Hegarty, K. (2021). Technology-facilitated abuse in relationships: Victimisation patterns and impact in young people. Computers in Human Behavior, 106897.
Mathews, B., & Sanci, L. A. (2021). Doctors' criminal law duty to report consensual sexual activity between adolescents: legal and clinical issues. Medical Journal of Australia. doi:10.5694/mja2.51163
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Williams, I., Vaisey, A., Patton, G., & Sanci, L. (2020). The effectiveness, feasibility and scalability of the school platform in adolescent mental healthcare. Current opinion in psychiatry, 33(4), 391-396. doi:10.1097/yco.0000000000000619
