Within six months of taking up a new position as Professor of Information Studies at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Australia, Lisa Given has been named in a $AUD1.53 million research project to improve paediatric emergency care in her home country of Canada.

 

Funded by the Networks of Centres of Excellence of Canada, the study, Translating Emergency Knowledge for Kids (TREKK) Network, is led by Dr Terry Klassen of the University of Manitoba in Canada.

 

For her part in the four-year project, Professor Given, based in the School of Information Studies within CSU’s Faculty of Education, will team up with Associate Professor Shannon Scott from the Faculty of Nursing at Canada’s University of Alberta.

 

They will investigate the information needs of health practitioners such as nurses, physicians, pharmacists and other caregivers and of health consumers, specifically children and parents, in emergency departments across more than 35 Canadian hospitals.

 

Professor Given said, “This project, announced in Canada towards the end of last year, is designed to ensure that the latest research in paediatric emergency medicine is available to and applied within general emergency departments.  The long term aims of the project are to improve the health outcomes of acutely ill and injured children.

 

“Professor Scott and I will assess the information needs of the health practitioners and consumers using several methods such as questionnaires, qualitative diaries, Photovoice, and other quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques. There will be site coordinators across Canada to gather data using iPad applications that are being developed as part of the project design.

 

“We are focusing on the role of internet-based sources of information in emergency and ongoing care of children, as well as the ways that individuals and groups within emergency departments seek the information they need for effective patient care.

 

“This, the information needs component of the TREKK project, will provide evidence for a number of project goals, including shaping the design of educational tools to be used with healthcare practitioners and consumers.”

 

Lisa Given was appointed the new Professor of Information Studies at Charles Sturt University in mid 2011

 

“Having been recently appointed as Professor of Information Studies, this project will allow me to maintain my strong research links within Canada. National Centres of Excellence projects are very competitive, so it’s great for Charles Sturt University to be recognised through my involvement. My Canadian colleagues are also thrilled to have an international connection.

 

“There are also many potential benefits for research in Australia as much of this work will inform my future projects in this country. I will also be able to share our research experiences and findings with my colleagues at Charles Sturt University and other Australian universities and in healthcare organisations.”

 

Professor Given and Associate Professor Scott are now designing the iPad application that will be used for research in emergency departments across Canada. They will be travelling to Mont Tremblant, Quebec, Canada, later this month to host a training session for hospital site coordinators involved in the project, with data collection starting in February 2012.

 

Read more about Professor Given on CSU News here.