Frontline work with older people shapes research
Professor Sue Kurrle and her team at the Rehabilitation and Aged Care Network at Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital have been running clinical trials for 25 years, looking at dementia, frailty, falls and various other areas.
“We do trials as it keeps you cutting edge and they are really important for our patients,” she says. As a geriatrician on the frontline, Sue is well- positioned to identify the critical areas that need attention. “You want to do the research that helps answers some of the questions that your clinical practice throws up,” she says. Falls research Sue says one of the most impactful trials she participated in was during her PhD research on hip protectors for older people. Her study found that the underwear with built in plastic “shields” stopped people from breaking or fracturing their hips when they fell.
“I got involved in hip protectors, because we were looking after so many hip fracture patients in our rehab ward here at Hornsby,” she says. “Ditto with dementia and with frailty. Everything we’ve done in research has been driven by what you see in clinical practice.” Dementia With an ageing population in the area, Sue and the team have had a long interest in dementia. Since 1999, they have run 56 trials for dementia drugs, some of which are part of global studies. Although most haven’t been especially successful, Sue says a recent tablet is promising, with the results soon to be published.
Professor Sue Kurrle (left) and the Rehabilitation and the Aged Care team
22 Tomorrow’s medicine today
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