Transcript NHMRC Information Forum

Funding research into ageingThe NH&MRC perspective
Professor Judy Black
The National Research Priorities
Promoting and maintaining good
health
Strategic research networks
Ageing well, ageing productively
Collaboration with ARC etc
discussions started, workshop planned
PMSEIC
Need for a strong evidence base to formulate
policies
Need for multidisciplinary research into
1. physical activity
2. Nutrition
3. Work and social environment
4. The built environment
5. A national network for healthy ageing research
Strategic Research
Development Committee
Research in Healthy ageing - community consultation
Eight projects funded
Healthy ageing PhD scholarships
Palliative Care
Oral health of older Australians -18 projects
PhD scholarships
•Home and community care
•Reducing falls in older people
•Economic considerations in
residential aged care
Ageing projects
•Pharmacology
•Cellular ageing
•Community services in neurodegenerative
disease
•Dementia in ATSI people
etc
Strategic networks
Mechanism for identifying effective
strategic responses to achieve
desired outcomes
Not simply a medical issue collaborate with AIHW, COTA,
DoHA, NARI,
Collaboration
NH&MRC workshop with ageing and aged
care (AACD) division of DoHA to
strengthen novice researchers in the field
of dementia
Qualitative vs Quantitative
• Qualitative methodology is often unfairly
criticised for lacking scientific rigour.
• Both methodologies share concerns
about statistical power, subgroup analysis
and generalisability.
• Both may be affected by issues of bias
and confounding.
What is Quality Research?
• ‘Quality’ - methods used to minimise
bias in the design and conduct of a
study.
• ‘Relevance’ - the extent to which
research findings can be applied in other
settings.
• ‘Strength’ - the magnitude and reliability
of the results.
Appraisal of the Evidence
Increasing attention is being paid to the
critical appraisal and synthesis (metaanalysis) of the evidence base to inform
policy.
Meta-analysis
Advantages:
• increased power
• robustness and transferability
Disadvantage:
• small biases may compound and result
in an ‘apparent’ effect
What does this mean for us?
Policy and practice is based only on the
highest quality data which meets the
standards for inclusion in meta-analysis.