Patients

Teletrials improve health equity

Nearly 90% of clinical trials are run from city or urban areas, meaning people living in regional, rural, remote or even outer metropolitan areas do not always have access to them, unless they travel or move. This is changing, with over 1,000 patients recruited onto teletrials. Work is continuing to set up the infrastructure, pathways and networks needed so that more patients can access health treatments locally.

Speak to your doctor about clinical trials, or visit the Australian Clinical Trials website to find a trial.

An important case study to watch

Teletrials and First Nations communities

It is important to make health access easy for the people who need it the most. First Nations people have not historically had the same health opportunities as non Indigenous people. Teletrials allows clinical trials to be developed in communities by communities, within an emerging new ethical and cultural capability framework.

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NEW IN VICTORIA

Victoria's South West Healthcare first non-cancer teletrial now open

The Bone Zone Trial aims to prevent bone loss in critically ill men and women following admission to intensive care for greater than two days. This is an important study because critical illness may adversely affect the well-being of survivors through increased bone turnover and accelerated bone loss in the following years. Older women who survive critical illness have a significantly higher fragility fracture rate compared to community age-matched controls. Men also experience an increased loss of bone mineral density (BMD) following critical illness in the year after having significantly greater decreases in BMD compared to age adjusted population controls.

The Bone Zone Trial is looking at comparing the effect of subcutaneous denosumab or intravenous zoledronic acid to placebo on change in BMD over one year in women aged 50 years or older and men aged 70 years or older.

South West Health (SWH) is Victoria’s largest sub-regional health service provider, and has partnered with Barwon Health (BH) to run the trial to benefit local community members. Participants have their initial treatment at BH (Geelong) following their intensive care stay, but if they live in the South West region will have the option for follow-up trial treatments closer to home.

If you could like more information please email clinicaltrials@swh.net.au

NEW IN QUEENSLAND

Torres and Cape celebrate their first-ever clinical trial patient!

Clinical trials are important to improve patient-focused care. They provide benefits to patients through comprehensive health screening, access to new interventions and enhanced clinical care.

The Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service (TCHHS) serves some of Australia’s most remote communities, including the Torres Strait Islands, Cape York and the Northern Peninsula area. And they have reached a historical milestone, recruiting and enrolling their first-ever patient in a clinical trial under the Teletrial model. The ‘Symptom Monitoring with Feedback Trial’ (SWIFT) study focuses on improving the quality of life for haemodialysis patients by regularly assessing symptoms such as fatigue, pain, and anxiety.

In partnership with the University of Sydney, TCHHS’ Dr. Janelle Prunster and Caroline Laux have been coordinating local operations with support from the renal team and the Queensland Regional Clinical Trial Coordinating Centre (QRCCC).

This milestone represents a significant step forward in equity of access to clinical trial care, with the trial set to become available to patients in Bamaga, Cooktown and Weipa this year.

Benefits