Health Faculty shines in recent research funding round
The Faculty of Health at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington is celebrating success in the latest round of funding from the Health Research Council, with four of the Faculty’s projects being awarded grants.
The projects cover a broad range of health-related topics: how to make perinatal mental health services more trans-inclusive; pre-surgery health optimisation; the work of nurse practitioners; and developing the way mātauranga Māori is manifested in physical activity.
Senior lecturer Dr George Parker was awarded a Health Delivery Project grant (one of just ten nationally) valued at $1,211,833 for their research into building system-readiness for trans inclusive perinatal mental health services (PMHS). Dr Parker will be working in partnership with trans whānau and two PHMS providers to develop and assess a framework of action to improve equity and create a more inclusive PMHS across Aotearoa.
“Our goal is to shape delivery of PHMS so that the service is equitable, safe, and inclusive for transgender, non-binary and Takatāpui (trans) people/whānau,” explains Dr Parker. “Our work in perinatal care has shown that currently PHMS are not prepared to meet the needs of trans whānau. The perinatal period presents unique challenges for the mental health and wellbeing of trans people. To ensure equitable care for trans people we need to challenge norms related to gender and sexuality, and the origins of stigma and discrimination embedded within services.”
Associate Professor Anne Haase and senior lecturer Dr Caz Hales will receive a $28,769 Health Delivery Activation grant for their project, Prehabilitation for enhanced surgery recovery: Improving hospital care pathways. The researchers say that poor patient health prior to hospitalisation leads to longer hospital stays and increased postoperative complications, with Māori and Pasifika people disproportionately affected—particularly those living with obesity.
“Optimising patient health prior to surgery through prehabilitation reduces the length of hospital stays with significantly better physical and mental health outcomes,” the pair says. “This project aims to map out what is currently on offer, and engage with communities to understand appropriate and acceptable types of pre-hospitalisation activities. This will provide a strong foundation of collaboration and evidence for informing future work to examine what and how aspects of prehabilitation designed for people living with obesity enhance surgical recovery.”
Associate Professor Deborah Harris has been awarded a $29,308 grant to study the work of nurse practitioners (NPs) in Aotearoa. NPs have been operating in Aotearoa since 2001—they have advanced education, clinical training and demonstrated competency, and have the legal authority to practice beyond the level of a registered nurse.
Associate Professor Harris says the role was designed to improve access to healthcare, particularly for vulnerable populations. There are currently more than 700 NPs working across the country and considerable government funding goes into NP training, yet there is relatively little data about their impact. “Reports from single areas of practice show NPs improve access to healthcare, patient outcomes and patient satisfaction,” explains Dr Harris. “However, there are no longitudinal data about career trajectories, economic analyses, implementation according to health policy, and impact on health outcome equity, which hinders further implementation and integration of the role. We seek to develop the research capacity to evaluate the mahi of nurse practitioners.”
Dr Geoff Kira will be using his $29,800 Health Delivery Activiation grant to research the ways Māori language, culture, knowledge and identity are realised and manifested within physical activity. Working alongside Isaac Warbrick from AUT and Wiremu Mato from Sport NZ, Dr Kira will bring together experts in indigenous kori tinana (physical activity) to expand existing knowledge, develop indigenous research projects, and enable collaborations to support phsyical activity-related research projects involving indigenous peoples.
“In addition to a local focus, we will also collaborate with international indigenous nations through our networks,” says Dr Kira. “The intention here is to develop and mentor early-career kori tinana proponents. Strengthening mātauranga and hauora are outcomes of this project.”
When announcing the Health Delivery grants in December, the HRC said it was proud to support research that directly informs health policy, practice, and systems.
“While we have a range of funding grants that can be used for clinical research and other studies that can inform healthcare practices and services, our health delivery research rounds are dedicated to increasing research engagement within healthcare settings.”