BackgroundThe meniscus is a c-shaped knee cartilage structure which distributes force between joint surfaces. Meniscal tears can occur, and often the torn parts are removed with keyhole surgery called arthroscopic partial meniscectomy. In Australia approximately 37,000 meniscectomies were performed between 2020-21, 10% were in young adults (< 30 years). Some people have considerable and persistent pain and impaired function after meniscectomy, and how to best treat this is unknown. Meniscal Allograft Transplant (MAT) is a treatment option where a donor meniscus is implanted into the knee. However, there is a lack of evidence whether this procedure is superior to physiotherapy.AimTo see if MAT surgery or Personalised Knee Therapy (PKT) is the most clinically and or cost-effective treatment, for people with knee pain and/or functional loss after a meniscectomy.Research MethodologyMETEOR2 is a two-armed multi-centred pragmatic, international, randomised controlled trial to assess the cost-effectiven

BackgroundResearch findings show that treatments commonly offered to patients with low back pain (LBP) are not evidence-based and are potentially harmful (e.g. opioids or routine imaging).Treatments for LBP, such as medication and bed rest, are often associated with higher disability compared to active management strategies and do not help patients develop self-management skills for their condition. Reviews have shown that most self-management approaches for LBP fail to address key healthy lifestyle behaviours (i.e. weight control, physical activity participation, sleep quality), known to be associated with the risk of developing chronic musculoskeletal pain.The effectiveness of using text messages to educate and empower patients to self-manage their acute LBP through lifestyle-based interventions is currently unknown. The TEXT4myBACK study seeks to answer this important question.AimTo evaluate the effectiveness of a lifestyle-focused intervention delivered by mobile phone text message for adults with no

BackgroundWith the expanding body of clinical knowledge in surgical procedures, driven by evidence-based research and clinician experience, the demand for translating research findings into practice and implementing changes is increasing.The adoption of new techniques and phasing out of old ones in clinical practice can be slow, facing many barriers and significantly impacting patient outcomes.AimTo increase the efficiency and effectiveness of translating research findings into surgical clinical practice by connecting evidence-based research results with surgical clinical practice and ultimately improve patient outcomes.A keystone to the project is working closely with clinicians and a diverse range of experts to identify the barriers and facilitators of translating research findings into practice, ultimately culminating in an implementation framework for surgery.Research MethodologyThe research project will be collaborative in nature, with a four-step approach for developing a useful framework for clinicians

BackgroundLow back pain (LBP) is a major global health issue, affecting 619 million people in 2020—a significant rise from 1990, with numbers expected to increase by another 36% by 2050. LBP is also the leading cause of disability worldwide, affecting people's ability to work and enjoy daily life. Despite clear medical guidelines, there are major differences in the care that people with LBP receive. The 4th Australian Atlas of Healthcare Variation highlights overuse of surgeries, with more than 14,000 lumbar spinal fusions performed between 2015 and 2018. A large review of 195,000 patients from multiple countries, including Australia, found that less than half of LBP patients received the right medications. Beyond medical treatments, people with low back pain often encounter difficulties accessing non-drug therapies and navigating the healthcare system. This makes it harder for patients to get the right care at the right time.AimTo explore the experiences of patients with low back pain through the

BackgroundAneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (aSAH) is a severe and life-threatening form of stroke that affects approximately 2,000 Australians each year, with a mortality rate of around 30%. Survivors often experience long-term disability and reduced quality of life, contributing to the loss of 25,000 disability-adjusted life years annually. Despite advances in stroke care, no new treatments have emerged in the past 15 years to improve outcomes for these patients. Our research group, recognising this gap, formed a collaboration in 2017 to address the urgent need for improved clinical interventions in aSAH. Through a multicentre, binational study, we revealed that the case fatality rate of 29.2% has remained stagnant over the last decade, with patients requiring ICU admission facing a higher mortality rate and prolonged hospital stays compared to other neurological conditions.Further research into the long-term outcomes of aSAH patients identified significant functional impairment six months after their ICU

BackgroundResearch priority setting (RPS) exercises are a collective activity, used to determine which research topics or questions should be prioritised. This process helps allocate resources effectively and ensures that research efforts address the most pressing and relevant issues. However currently RPS exercises are conceptualised as a tool to reach consensus on what research should be prioritised, but in a justice blind manner. AimWe aim to bring a paradigm shift in how RPS is conceptualised and conducted by developing a conceptual framework to use RPS as a tool to enable justice and fairness in the climate and health knowledge ecosystemResearch MethodologyWe will use a multitude of methods, in an iterative manner to allow for effective integration of methods from different knowledge systems. The methods we will use are in-depth interviews, yarning (an Indigenous methodology), nominal group technique meetings, and a systematic review of existing RPS on climate change and health with a justice and eq