A trio of SAHMRI researchers will get a valuable boost as the beneficiaries of the Catalyst Grant Scheme (Catalyst), a new initiative run by Health Translation SA (HTSA) in partnership with The Hospital Research Foundation Group (THRF Group) and the Women’s & Children’s Hospital Foundation (WCH Foundation).

The scheme aims to provide a springboard for South Australian projects that have high potential for winning a future Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) grant.

This inaugural round of the Catalyst has a budget of $360,000 available to provide funding of between $20,000 to $60,000 per project for a maximum of a one-year grant period.

Funding for the Catalyst is provided by THRF Group and WCH Foundation, contributing $240,000 and $120,000, respectively.

The THRF is awarding $240,000 for four projects, three of which are being led by SAHMRI researchers, focusing on rural and indigenous mental health, improving clinical documentation, and understanding the important role carers have on older people’s wellbeing and hospitalisations.

The successful projects include:

Associate Professor Johan Verjans – Automatically converting consultations into clinical notes
Adelaide Uni | CALHN | Calvary-Medibank Joint Venture | Flinders Uni

Clinical documentation is a critical yet time-consuming task. This project aims to utilise AI technology to accurately convert conversations during consultations into clinical notes.

Ultimately, this will free healthcare professionals from being inundated with paperwork and instead allow them to focus on direct patient care.

Dr Tina Brodie – Improving mental health and wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders
SAHMRI | Adelaide Uni | SA Health | Aboriginal Health Council of SA

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to experience adverse mental health and wellbeing outcomes.

This project will develop a roadmap towards improving mental health and wellbeing by bringing together key agencies to better respond to the needs of the community.

Dr Tesfahun Eshetie – Empowering carers and improving quality of care for older people
SAHMRI | CALHN | ECH Inc | UniSA

Carers play a significant role in the aged and healthcare systems, with about 10% of Australia’s population providing informal care.

Using the Registry of Senior Australians (ROSA) integrated data, this project will examine carers’ characteristics and their caregiving roles, and how they influence quality of care and hospitalisations. This will help develop strategies to optimise carers’ involvement, enhance at-home care and reduce hospitalisations.