Synopsis:

Can we reduce the number of children on Royal Children’s Hospital waiting lists, stem the flow of low urgency presentations to the Emergency Department, reduce low value care practices by clinicians, and improve mental health services for children?

The RCH Health Services Research Unit was founded in 2015 by Prof Harriet Hiscock to understand and address these complex problems. Health Services Research helps to identify the most effective ways to organise, manage, finance, and deliver high quality care and improve access to care. The Unit has conducted a range of research. We will discuss our work in new models of care to help GPs caring for children closer to home – the Strengthening Care 4 Children Trial – and reduce the burden on the Allergy clinic waiting list – the Allergy in Community Trial – together with our work on caregiver views about how to improve mental health services for children attending Victorian emergency departments.

Speaker:

Professor Harriet Hiscock is a consultant paediatrician and NHMRC Practitioner fellow. She is Director of the Royal Children’s Hospital Health Services Research Unit, Group Leader of Health Services at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, and Director of the Australian Paediatric Research Network. Her research focuses on common child health conditions, in particular (i) developing and trialling community approaches to improve access to care; (ii) reducing low value care (i.e. unnecessary imaging, pathology testing and medication); and (iii) optimising care for common mental health conditions such as ADHD and anxiety