The Barwon Health Palliative Care Research Group aims to improve the quality of life of patients by conducting research into commonly experienced palliative care symptoms such as pain, cancer cachexia and breathlessness as well as approaches to optimise service provision.  Research is embedded into every aspect of our service delivery, and our team is committed to undertaking and facilitating quality research.

As a member of the national Palliative Care Clinical Studies Collaborative (PaCCSC) and Cancer Symptoms Trials (CST) Group, Barwon Health has been a research site for pivotal multi-centre studies evaluating commonly used symptom management approaches for people with life-limiting diseases. Additionally we have been involved in international pharmaceutical industry trials for cancer cachexia and have ongoing research projects into this debilitating condition through our cachexia clinic.

The unit has worked hard to build and foster a research culture within the multi-disciplinary palliative care department and has supported the planning and implementation of a wide range of investigator-led projects through the Palliative Care Research Group.

Recent Research Highlights

Publications

  • Dowd A, Davies M, Short S, Morrison R, Spiller C, Carter J, Eastman P. Dying at home: enablers and barriers. Internal Journal of Palliative Nursing. Publication after a number of years of work by the community palliative care team
  • Eastman, P., Le, B. (2023). Palliative Care and Stroke. In: MacLeod, R.D., Van den Block, L. (eds) Textbook of Palliative Care. Springer, Cham.

Presentations

  • Miriam Ferres: Palliative Care clinical trials research in non-metropolitan settings – opportunities for growth. Poster presentation at 2023 Clinical Oncology Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting
  • Peter Eastman: The interface between palliative care and stroke (including a tale of serendipity). Presentation at 2024 Barwon Health and Deakin University Research and Grand Round.

Research Areas

The ReViTALISE project is a five year (through until mid-2026), MRFF funded program which aims to bridge the gap between metropolitan and regional clinical trial participation and ultimately improve the health outcomes of regional Australians.  The program has seven project streams and Barwon Health/South West Health are the lead site for the Palliative and Supportive Care Project stream.  The key aims of the palliative and supportive care project are to:

  • Increase the number of palliative and supportive care patients participating in clinical trials in regional areas
  • Increase the number of clinical trials available to palliative and supportive care patients
  • Increase the clinical trial capability of palliative and supportive care in regional sites.

The IMPACCT (Improving Palliative, Aged and Chronic care through Clinical Research and Translation) Rapid Program is a collaborative international quality improvement program that studies the prospective use of medications and non-pharmacological interventions commonly used in palliative care and cancer symptom management.

RAPID studies currently being recruited to at Barwon Health include one evaluating the use of regular ondansetron for nausea and another investigating the use of regular melatonin to help with sleep.

An ongoing research initiative of the Cachexia and Nutrition Support Service data.

Cancer cachexia is a debilitating condition of tissue wasting affecting 50% of cancer patients. It results in loss of weight and muscle and therefore loss of functional ability.

Barwon Health runs a unique cancer cachexia clinic and data from this clinic is routinely collected and used for ongoing research. There are currently multiple research projects in progress and/or recently published.

Undertaking a retrospective audit of occupational therapy (OT) and physiotherapy clinical notes to gather data on use of equipment prescribed by therapists. Data will be collected from the electronic medical record on notes of routine OT and physiotherapy face to face assessments in the community and follow up via phone calls to the client or carer. Data will include the impact this equipment has on independence with ADL tasks. Client’s satisfaction with equipment and whether equipment is still in use at a follow up contact completed by the therapist.

A study evaluating an online support program for people living with advanced cancer and their family carers lead by the University of Melbourne.  FOCUSAu is an online support program comprised of 4 guided sessions over a period of 3 months that aims to improve participant’s wellbeing and quality of life by helping with communication and coping strategies, uncertainty, planning for the future and symptom management.  Barwon Health will be a recruiting site for the study.

Collaborating Organisations

University of Technology Sydney PaCCSC The Australasian Lung Cancer Trials Group
Regional Trials Network Victoria Deakin University

Research Team

Research Staff

  • Peter Eastman, Palliative Care Consultant, Director of Palliative Care
  • Anna Dowd, Clinical Trial Coordinator and Chair of The Palliative Care Research Group
Eastman, P., Le, B. (2023). Palliative Care and Stroke. In: MacLeod, R.D., Van den Block, L. (eds) Textbook of Palliative Care. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31738-0_59-2
 Dowd A, Davies M, Short S, Morrison R, Spiller C, Carter J, Eastman P. Dying at home: enablers and barriers. Internal Journal of Palliative Nursing. 2023: Published Online:21 Jul 2023. https://doi.org/10.12968/ijpn.2023.29.7.326
 Wong AK, Hawke J, Eastman P, Buizen L, Le B. Does cancer type and adjuvant analgesic prescribing influence opioid dose?-a retrospective cross-sectional study. Annals of Palliative Medicine. 2023 Apr 10:apm-22.
 Eastman P, Dowd A, White J, Carter J, Ely M. Telehealth: rapid adoption in community palliative care due to COVID-19: patient and professional evaluation. BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care. 2021 Jun 22.
 Bland K, Harrison M, Zopf E, Sousa M, Currow D, Ely M et al. Quality of Life and Symptom Burden Improve in Patients Attending a Multidisciplinary Clinical Service for Cancer Cachexia: A Retrospective Observational Review. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management 2021. DOI: 10.1016/J.JPAINSYNMAN.2021.02.034
Vaughan VC, Harrison M, Dowd A, Eastman P, Martin P. Evaluation of a Multidisciplinary Cachexia and Nutrition Support Service—The Patient and Carers Perspective. Journal of Patient Experience 2021 Jan 13;8:2374373520981476.
Currow DC, Glare P, Louw S, Martin P, Clark K, Fazekas B, Agar MR. A randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled trial of megestrol acetate or dexamethasone in treating symptomatic anorexia in people with advanced cancer. Scientific Reports. 2021 11:2421.
Politis J, Eastman P, Le B, Furler J, Irving L, Smallwood N.  Managing Severe Chronic Breathlessness in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Is Challenging for General Practitioners.  Am J Hosp Pall Med 2020.  Published online Sept 17.
Eastman P, Le B, Ko D.  Challenges in advance care planning: the interface between explicit instructional directives and palliative care.  Med J Aust 2020;213(2):67-8
Rajadorai S, Eastman P. Subcutaneous antiepileptic agents for the prevention and management of seizures in the deteriorating and dying patient: Identifying palliative care clinicians’ experiences and current practice.  ANZSPM Newsletter 2020;32(1):6
Bland A, Zopf E , Harrison M, Ely M, Dowd A, Cormie P, Martin P.  Clinically-Measured Muscular Strength Predicts Quality of Life And Symptom Burden In Patients with Cancer Cachexia. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2020. WOSUID: WOS:00590026303281.
Bland KA, Zopf EM, Harrison M, Ely M, Cormie P, Liu E, Dowd A & Martin P. Prognostic markers of overall survival in cancer patients attending a cachexia support service: an evaluation of clinically assessed physical function, malnutrition and inflammatory status. Nutrition and Cancer: An International Journal. 2020 Aug 6;1-11.
Phillips J, Wiseman R, Eastman P, Li C, Smallwood N. Mapping non-malignant, respiratory palliative care services in Australia & New Zealand.  Aust. Health Review 2020;44(5):778-781
Dawson J, Le B, Eastman P.  Australian palliative physicians’ perceptions of clinician performed ultrasound scanning.  J Palliat Med 2020;23(1):4
Pitson G, Matheson L, Garrard B, Eastman P, Rogers M. Population-Based Analysis of Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy Treatment in the Last Month of Life within regional Australia.  Intern Med J 2020;50(5):596-602
Pitson G, Matheson L, Eastman P, Rogers M.  Population Based Analysis of End of Life Treatment Patterns in Thoracic Malignancies.  Journal of Thoracic Oncology 2019;14(10):S329-330
Vaughan VC, Farrell H, Lewandowski PA, McCoombe SG, Martin P. Defining a new model of interdisciplinary cancer cachexia care in regional Victoria, Australia. Supportive Care in Cancer. 2019;28: 3041-3049.
Diabetes and Palliative Care: A Framework to Help Clinicians Proactively Plan for Personalized care Dunning T, Martin P. In: Palliative Care; 2019 [Book Chapter].
Kerr D, Milnes S, Ammentorp J, McKie C, Dunning T, Ostaszkiewicz J, Wolderslund M, Martin P. Challenges for nurses when communicating with people who have life‐limiting illness and their families: A focus group study. Clin Nurs. 2019;29:416-28.
Kim ML, Matheson L, Garrard B, Francis M, Broad A, Malone J, Eastman P, Rogers M, Yap C-H.  Use of clinical quality indicators to improve lung cancer care in a regional/rural network of health services.  Aust. J. Rural Health. 2019;27(2):183-187
Eastman P, Le B. The deteriorating patient representative on a palliative care quality committee: Ethical and practical considerations.  Palliative and Supportive Care 2019;17(6):735-737
See D, Le B, Gorelik A, Eastman P.  Symptom burden in malignant and non-malignant disease on admission to a palliative care unit.  BMJ Support Palliat Care 2019; published online February 4, 2019
Eastman P, Currow D, Fazekas B, Brown L, Le B.  Oral dexamethasone in the management of cancer-related pain: A feasibility study.  Palliat Med 2019;33(4):477-478
Smallwood N, Moran T, Thompson M, Eastman P, Le B, Philip J.  Integrated respiratory and palliative care leads to high levels of satisfaction: a survey of patients and carers.  BMC Palliative Care 2019;18:7
Le BH, Marston C, Kerley C, Eastman P.  Facilitating the choice of dying at home or in residential care with the implementation of a palliative care rapid response team in a cancer centre and general hospital.  Palliat Med 2019;33(4):475-476

Research Grants

  • Geelong Hospice Foundation – exploring barriers and enablers to people wanting to die at home
  • Western Alliance – The rapid adoption of telehealth by a regional community-based palliative care service due to COVID-19: patient and healthcare professional perspectives and opportunities for service enhancement

Support our Research

Participate in a Clinical Trial

To find out about clinical trials currently underway at Barwon Health, click here.

Donate

Research requires ongoing investment and there are several ways to support this amazing work.

You can make a donation today and contribute to an item on our research wish list, consider a bequest in your will, or establish a lasting legacy fund in your name. No matter what size, your philanthropic support with deliver an immediate impact.

To donate now or for more information and further discuss your support, please contact the Barwon Health Foundation.

Wish List

  1. Funding to support development of new researchers within our team, including allowing us to provide some dedicated research hours without taking people away from day to day duties.
  2. Funding to allow us to research our foray into virtual reality technology for palliative care patients and families. This was recently introduced to the Palliative Care Unit.
  3. Funding to support research into the new and unique Palliative Care at Home model (Pall@Home).
  4. Funding to support more research into volunteer programs within the palliative care service.

Page last updated: December 23, 2024