Dr Alison Craswell, Cisco Research Chair in Digital health and ageing at UniSC, a new digital health partnership aiming to extend knowledge and industry engagement in research. As Senior Research Fellow in a collaborative appointment with Caboolture Hospital, Metro North Hospital and Health Service, Alison builds capacity in clinician researchers through investigating real world problems.
Alison's research focus is the acute care of older adults and digital innovation. Projects range from partnering with carers to detect and manage delirium (NHMRC) developing and evaluating in hospital models of care, functional decline after emergency surgery (MNH collaborative grant), to primary care provision by Nurse Practitioners in rural and remote aged care (Office of Research and Innovation QHealth). Digital health solutions for older adults and nurses follow from Alison's PhD study examining how midwives transitioned to digital data entry for perinatal data collection and evaluation of Pyxis and ieMR implementations in partnership with SCUH. Alison represents UniSC in the AVATAR group, Alliance for Vascular Access Teaching and Research.
Alison has more than 20 years clinical experience in nursing with a clinical background in paediatrics, midwifery and neonatal nursing. Project manager of the successful CEDRiC project (Care coordination through Emergency Department, Residential Aged Care and Primary Health Collaboration), Alison’s research has impact. The resultant Geriatric Emergency Department Intervention (GEDI) is recognised as improving acute care of older adults and translated into Emergency Departments across Queensland by the State Government.
Potential Research Projects for HDR and Honours Students
Accepting higher degree research students in the areas of Digital Health and Informatics, and ageing.
-
Telehealth for older adults
-
Digitalising high volume, low return work in nursing
-
Use of machine imaging for falls preventions, identification of escalation of behaviours and occupational violence and mapping nursing work
Professional Memberships
- Australian Institute of Digital Health (AIDH)
- Health Services Research Australia and New Zealand (HSRAANZ)
- State-wide Digital Health Research Committee (DHRC) – Queensland Health
- State-wide Nursing and Midwifery Research Forum (Office of the Chief Nurse and Midwifery Officer OCMNO)
Awards/Fellowships
- 2023 – Best research presentation - Caboolture Kilcoy Hospitals and Woodford Corrections Health 2023 Research Symposium
- 2023 – Excellence in collaboration - AVATAR (alliance for Vascular Access Teaching and Research)
- 2023 – Cultivating productive research partnerships - School of Health Research Excellence award, UniSc
- 2016 - Award for Customer Focus: Geriatric Emergency Department Intervention (GEDI): Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service, University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland Premier’s Excellenc Awards
- 2014 - HDR Career Launch Scholarship – University of Wollongong
- 2013 - Branko Cesnik Award for Best scientific paper by a student - 21st Australian National Health Informatics Conference HIC2013, 15-18 July, Adelaide South Australia
- 2012 – APA PhD scholarship
Research Grants
|
Grant/project name |
Investigators |
Funding body and AUD$ value |
Year(s) |
Focus of research grant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
A novel approach to partnering with family carers in the prevention of delirium
|
Associate Professor Christina Aggar
Dr Alison Craswell
Professor Kasia Bail
Associate Professor Roslyn Compton
Professor Mark Hughes
Professor Jennene Ann Greenhill
Dr Golam Sorwar
Professor Sue Randal
|
NHMRC Partnership
$1,334,456
Total $3,183,055
|
2024 |
The goal is to implement and evaluate the PREDICT model, an evidence-based, multifaceted delirium intervention tailored for the Australian healthcare landscape.
The project will test the performance of PREDICT under ‘real-world' conditions, including the unique impact of this initiative on carers, culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) carers and LGBTQ+ carers.
|
|
Clinical effectiveness of selection and insertion by a vascular access specialist in a regional setting: a randomised controlled trial and feasibility study. |
Craswell A, Anderson J, Herrmann C, Howell N |
CKW/UniSC Collaborative grant $40,000 |
2024 |
To compare the clinical effectiveness of intravenous device selection and insertion by a vascular access specialist (VAS) compared with standard practice. |
|
Vasopressor Infusion via Peripheral vs Central Access in emergency department patients with shock – The VIPCA RCT |
Holland T, Ramanan M, Apte Y, Watts S, Ware R, Byrnes J, Craswell A, Lin F, Anstey C. Keijzers G, Tabah A. |
Emergency Medicine Foundation Jumpstart $38,766 |
2022 |
To test the feasibility of conducting a Phase 3 RCT using pre-defined feasibility criteria for recruitment, retention, and protocol fidelity, inform sample size estimates for a and test the data analysis plan, Conduct a sub-study aims to understand PIVC device selection, decision making on insertion and site management. |
|
Post-operative functional recovery in older adults who have undergone emergency non- cardiac surgery – a multisite prospective longitudinal cohort study |
Taylor A, Craswell A, Mudge A, Lisec C, Andersen J, Harvey M, Woollett K, Daly N. |
Metro North Health UniSC Collaborative $50,000 |
2022 |
Multi-site prospective longditudinal cohort study to describe the characteristics and functional outcomes of older patients who undergo emergency surgery, and their subsequent healthcare utilisation.
|
|
Improving access to primary care for older adults in rural aged care homes: implementation of a nurse practitioner role |
Craswell A, Coates K, Wallis M, Mudge A, Chapman J, Kaur D, Merollini K ( |
Queensland Health Nursing and Midwifery Fellowships, Round 7 $120,000 |
2022 |
To evaluate the implementation of the NP model of care across five residential aged care homes in rural and remote Queensland: Map organisational and site readiness; Describe the barriers and facilitators (conditions) associated with providing care health care for residents of SCCCQLD sites in rural and remote communities; and Evaluate the impact of the NP model of care including costs. |
|
Advancing Relational Care with Older Adults in Long-Term Care and Assisted Living: an online education intervention for healthcare workers |
Compton R, Parmar J, Craswell A, Hubbard-Murdoch N, Sattar S, Hunter P, Anderson S, Ottley K, Lowe M, Krahn D, Moorman M, Kross R, Robeiro M, Gao N, Emard S, Nkemtendong G, Tendulkar Y |
Saskatchewan Health Research Fund (SHRF) CABHI Spark & Call for Scale-up Innovation Projects $50,000CAD |
2021 |
This research aims to join two research teams from western Canada and Australia to implement and evaluate education modules for healthcare workers regarding inclusiveness of family caregivers. |
Research areas
- Digital Health and informatics
- Older Adults and proactive ageing
- Health Services and models of care for older adults
Teaching areas
- HLT500 Ageing in Australia
Dr Alison Craswell's specialist areas of knowledge include: health informatics, health service evaluation and advanced practice nursing.
In the news
Technology revolution vital for healthy ageing
25 JulAccelerating the pace of digital innovation will be critical to improving outcomes for ageing Australians, according to a leading researcher from the University of the Sunshine Coast.