Research in Palliative Care - Where to Begin
Starting with an idea
In your day to day work you may come across a problem or issue for which you do not have a ready solution. The starting point for research is to convert the need for information into a clearly defined answerable question or questions.
The following resource provides an overview of the current research agenda in palliative care in Australia.
MJA Supplement on Palliative Care in Australia - published in September 2003, it provides an overview of palliative care in Australia at that time. The contributors are all leaders in palliative care and the supplement was jointly sponsored by the Australian Department of Health and Ageing and by Palliative Care Australia.
Doing a literature review search
Electronic databases are available to help find the articles or books that contain the information you need. Some of the more common databases are Pubmed, Webspirs, Clinicians´ Knowledge Network (CKN), Embase, ProQuest and Ovidmedline.
Check with your hospital, university or organisation library service to find out how to access the databases or for help with your search. Libraries often run free training courses in how to search databases. There are many resources available on the internet and in libraries. Some useful links are:
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The British Medical Journal which has an excellent range of articles on palliative care - just do a search from their home page.
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CareSearch - an electronic resource for palliative care researchers and clinicians.
Ethics
This is a vital part of any research as the proposal will need to go through a research ethics committee for approval. Funding bodies will not release funding until ethical approval has been granted. Each ethics review committee will usually have its own standard proforma, and a closing date for each round of meetings.
The National Palliative Care Program of the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing released this 2004 publication that provides support to researchers in gaining ethics approval for research that falls within the palliative care field. It provides advice and information on how to best draft research ethics applications to Human Research Ethics Committees.
Ethical research in palliative care: A guide through the Human Research Ethics Committee process
Funding/Education Sources
See the links below for information on funding opportunities and other helpful resources:
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NHMRC * [National Health and Medical Research Council]
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ARC * [Australian Research Council]
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The Cancer Council Queensland - Clinical Research Fellowships
- PhD Scholarships
- Travel/Study Grants
- Denise Brien Memorial Scholarship -
Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing
- Look for current and upcoming tenders -
National Innovations Funding Pool [supports the ongoing development of general practice and Divisions of General Practice]
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Primary Health Care Research and Information Service
Has links to:
- PHC RED Primary Health Care Research and Education Division (Australian Government)- Research
- Grants - Beyond Blue (Depression)
[* Funds provided through an administering institution (Eg. University or hospital)].
Writing a proposal
A proposal is a structured document that is broken down into standard sections. These sections each contain necessary and relevant information so that a reader is able to determine the validity and reliability of your research question/s, how you did the study, and whether your results and interpretations of these results are likely to be valid.
Tips on preparing a grant proposal
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