Graduate Research Services

Project Outline:

Students who are interested in researching the following topics are invited to contact me to discuss potential supervision

• Gender equity in higher education and/or the nursing workforce
• Nurse workforce retention
• Child oral health
• LGBTQI+ student experiences in higher education and/or the workplace
• Nurses in primary health care/ public health
• Work integrated learning
• International university student experience
• Domestic abuse/intimate partner coercion, control, violence

Supervisor(s): Dr Lesley Andrew

My methodology expertise lies in qualitative and mixed method research.

Project level: PhD and Master by Research

Start date: From 2023

Project Outline:

The cannulation of a difficult venous access represents a common challenge in clinical practice. This research study investigates the potential use of a portable point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) device prior to cannulation of a difficult venous access. POCUS devices are currently used in some haemodialysis clinics in Western Australia, but not everywhere. The uptake of this technology in a broader variety of clinical settings should be supported, nurses need to be trained and educated on how to safely use this new technology, which may lead to improved patient outcomes.

Project Area: Nursing Safety and Quality; Workforce; Improving outcomes for adults with chronic kidney disease

Supervisor(s): Dr Ulrich Steinwandel

Project level: PhD

Funding: Applicant should apply for ECUHDR or RTP Scholarship

Start date: From 2023

Project Outline:

In order to evaluate the quality of care provided by nurses in primary health care settings, we first need to find ‘measures’ of quality and ensure they are appropriate and measurable within the primary health care setting. This project could be focused on one particular indicator, e.g. failure to rescue or could be expanded to a larger suite of indicators appropriate to a PhD study.
This study could also be oriented to the work of Nurse Practitioners in primary health care settings.

Desired Skills: Experience in primary health care settings, preferably in rural or remote areas is ideal, but the project could be oriented towards general practice in urban settings.

Project Area: Workforce, quality and safety

Supervisor(s): Dr Kylie McCullough and Dr Gemma Doleman

Project level: Masters, PhD

Funding: Applicant should apply for ECUHDR or RTP Scholarship

Start date: From 2023

Project Outline:

My research is situated within the child and family health nursing framework. I am interested in topics that investigate issues impacting on child and family health outcomes. I am particularly interested in the following;

1. Child health/neonatal research topics
2. Mental health of fathers in the neonatal unit
3. Support needs of fathers with sick infants in the neonatal unit
4. Children with complex medical health issues

This project will use either qualitative, quantitative or mixed methodologies

Project Area: Childbearing, Children and Young People

Supervisor(s): Dr Esther Adama

Project level: Honours, Masters, PhD

Funding: Applicant should apply for ECUHDR or RTP Scholarship; Industry PhD Scholarship available

Start date: Ongoing

Project Outline:

The project will be situated within a program of research on the prevention of hospital acquired complications and will align with the Australian National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards and Western Australian Sustainable Health Review that aim to protect the public from harm and improve the quality of acute health service provision.
Patients who are admitted to hospitals are extremely sick, have high acuity levels, are frail, often older, with multiple comorbidities and are extremely vulnerable to acquiring a hospital acquired complication. Recent Australian data shows that one if every nine patients will develop a hospital acquired complication costing the Australia’s health system at least $5 billion per year (Grattan Institute, 2018). This vulnerable group of patients will be exposed to highly invasive procedures and despite the frequency of these procedures there is a paucity of research guiding the best evidence-based research practice.
Depending on the student’s background and preference, the PhD project will be in one of the following areas:

1. Vascular access
   1. Peripheral vascular access
   2. Haemodialysis vascular access
2. Indwelling urinary catheter management
3. Prevention of pressure injury

Other topics related to improving patient outcomes in an acute care setting may be considered.

Desired skills: Experience with statistical analysis and related software (e.g., Stata, SAS, R, SPSS)

Project Area: Safety and Quality in Healthcare

Supervisor(s): Dr Linda Coventry, Professor Lisa Whitehead

Project level: PhD

Funding: School scholarship available

Start date: From 2023

Project Outline:

Peripheral intravenous cannula (PIVC) are a universally known intervention for patients in acute health services to assist with management of conditions, and are the most commonly inserted vascular access device. Most PIVCs are inserted to administer intravenous fluids, medications or to obtain pathology blood tests.  There is a great degree of variance in practice regarding dwell time, insertion techniques, obtaining blood samples and management of intravenous cannulas between health services, states in Australia, and individual nurses. Aim: To explore the evidence for best practice in peripheral intravenous care in Australian health services.

Project Area: Nursing Safety and Quality

Funding: Applicant should apply for ECUHDR or RTP Scholarship

Supervisor(s): Dr Linda Coventry, Dr Hugh Davies

Project level: Masters, PhD

Start date: Ongoing