Emmah Doig

Exploring how the Action Falls Intervention reduces falls in stroke survivors

We are seeking a PhD candidate who is eligible for a UQ Graduate School Scholarship, to undertake a PhD in the field of falls rehabilitation following stroke. The project is part the Australian Falls In Stroke Study (FISS-Australia) Trial, funded by the National Health and Research Medical Council (NHMRC) and National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The FISS-Australia trial is a national, multi-centre, randomised controlled trial that will determine the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the Action Falls intervention in stroke survivors who are discharged from hospital to home.

The Action Falls Intervention is a systematic falls prevention intervention involving clinician-led assessment of falls risks, followed by personalised action planning. Action Falls has been shown in previous research to reduce falls by 43% in older people living in nursing home settings in the UK and is cost effective compared to other falls interventions, but its effectiveness for reducing falls in people with stroke living at home has not been tested.

The project is led by researchers at the University of Queensland in collaboration with researchers at the University of Nottingham, La Trobe University, University of Sydney, and the University of Canberra. The overarching aim of the trial is to determine if the Action Falls intervention reduces the rate of falls in stroke survivors and is more cost effective than the usual care. The trial will include a nested, process evaluation guided by a realist approach, designed to explore the mechanisms by which Action Falls reduces falls, seeking to explore for which stroke survivors, in what circumstances Action Falls is effective.

The successful PhD candidate will use qualitative (eg. interviews with health care professionals, people with stroke and their significant others) and quantitative methods (eg. analyse data about implementation of the Action Falls intervention, frequency of falls, health care usage) to explore the Action Falls Intervention. The findings of this evaluation will inform future delivery of Action Falls to stroke survivors.

The PhD student will be supervised by a team that may include Dr Emmah Doig, Prof Pip Logan, Prof Nadine Foster, A/Professor Jacki Liddle. The PhD candidate would be based at the Surgical Treatment and Rehabilitation Service (STARS) Education and Research Alliance.

Eligible candidates will be supported to apply for a UQ Graduate School Scholarship that provides a 3-year scholarship (with possible extension for 6 months if required) at a rate of $35,000 p.a. tax free.

Essential criteria: An undergraduate degree with first or second class honours in a health profession (eg. occupational therapy, physiotherapy, nursing); eligibility for admission as a PhD candidate at The University of Queensland; excellent communication skills (written and verbal) in English.

Desirable criteria: Experience in and interest in stroke and/or falls rehabilitation practice or research.