Honours

A descriptive, exploratory study of the validity of staging/categorisation of pressure injuries reported by hospital staff using a retrospective quality audit

Monitoring and reporting of pressure injuries is undertaken Australia wide as a means for measuring hospital performance and accreditation outcomes (Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare, 2017; Miles et al., 2013). A prospective, descriptive study by Barakat-Johnson et al. (2018) investigating the accuracy of reported hospital-acquired pressure injuries found that 70% of patients in the study had various other skin conditions instead of pressure injury. Such inaccuracy challenges the provision of appropriate treatment and prevention and affects the application of penalty funding and the accuracy of national benchmarking. Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess the validity of staging and categorisation of pressure injuries identified in one acute general hospital between 2016 and 2018.
Several pressure injury prevention projects are available for nursing students. 
Supervisor: Prof. Paul Fulbrook, Dr. Sandra Miles
Contact: sandra.miles@acu.edu.au
Campus: Brisbane

Building resilience in undergraduate nursing, midwifery and paramedic students: Implications for curriculum
This longitudinal study commenced data collection in 2019. The study offers an:

• opportunity to conduct a systematic review in one of the disciplines related to the larger project
• opportunity for an Honours student to negotiate looking at an aspect of the larger study with the Chief Investigator (CI), for example, Promoting student wellbeing

Supervisor: Associate Professor Amanda Johnson
Contact: amanda.johnson@acu.edu.au
Campus: Not specified

Mapping Indigenous participation in Paramedicine courses and employment
Government strategies have been put in place to increase Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) peoples’ participation in university courses. It is well recognised that ATSI peoples are under-represented in the health professions. This study will focus on quantifying the numbers of ATSI people currently studying paramedicine and those who have completed. Graduate destination will also be explored to determine if ATSI peoples continue on to employment in paramedicine services. This will be undertaken via online survey to universities and ambulance services. Selected graduates will be invited to participate in a further online survey about the barriers and enablers to participation in paramedicine study and work.

Mental health nursing and resilience
This Adult Mental Health study, led by Professor Kim Foster, commenced in 2019. The Statewide project will focus on registered (RN) and enrolled (EN) nurses working in a mental health environment. The role for an Honours student would be around content analysis – quantitative research. The study is based in Melbourne; however, an Honour’s student would be able to engage in the project from any location.
Supervisor: Professor Kim Foster
Contact: kim.foster@acu.edu.au 
Campus: Not specified

Self-care interventions across the spectrum of chronic conditions (International project)
An opportunity has arisen for an Honours student to participate in an international research project that commenced in 2019, by the new International Center for Self-Care Research.  The research project intended for an Honours student will involve undertaking a systematic review of the literature summarizing self-care interventions across the spectrum of chronic conditions. The Centre Directors will consider interest in a specific illness, for example, diabetes, or a specific self-care behaviour (for example, medication adherence) held by an Honours student as an aspect of the project where the student would assume responsibility for that content area. This project is an ideal way to learn about the research journey and skills; to be part of an international team on a trend area of study and to produce a publication.

Supervisors: Professor Barbara Riegel (US) and Professor Tiny Jaarsma (Sweden)
Contact: sue.gledhill@acu.edu.au
Campus: Not specified

Understanding support and influence offered by smart phone apps for breastfeeding
This qualitative research study commenced in 2019. The study aims to examine the level of support and the influence of visual content/symbolic representation in mobile applications (apps) used by breastfeeding mothers.
The study includes a systematic review to identify and evaluate evidence from primary research on the support and influence offered by mobile apps to breastfeeding mothers due to limited research into what influences a mother to seek support for breastfeeding.
The study will also utilise content analysis to explore and describe the symbolism used to represent breastfeeding in a sample of mobile apps.
Supervisors: Dr Lynne Dunne, Dr Sue Gledhill, Dr Sandra Miles.
Contact: sue.gledhill@acu.edu.au
Campus: Brisbane

Understanding the experiences of Assistant’s in Nursing in an acute care setting
Type of research: Qualitative 
This type of project has the potential to explore the impact on health services workforce and illustrates how an Honours project can be scaled up to a PhD study into the future.

Principal supervisor: Associate Professor Amanda Johnson
Co- supervisor: Dr Xanthe Glaw
Contact: amanda.johnson@acu.edu.au
Campus: Not specified

Understanding the student experience of inherent requirements
This study provides opportunity for systematic review and for conducting further studies into:   

• the experience of the disability advisor in the use of inherent requirement statements;    
• the experience of the academic in the use of inherent requirement statements (using the initial study framework);
• an aspect of Inherent Requirements to be negotiated between the Chief Investigator (CI) and the Honour’s student, for example, a survey to audit current usage in nursing.

Supervisor: Associate Professor Amanda Johnson
Contact: amanda.johnson@acu.edu.au
Campus: Not specified