Conference Roundup

MAIC Research and Grants team members attended the annual Australasian Road Safety Conference (ARSC) 2024 in Hobart, Tasmania which brought together 600 attendees from across Australia and New Zealand. The ARSC is a gathering that unites researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to address road safety concerns and exchange insights and best practices. Presenters at the conference included 15 MAIC funding recipients. Professor Ioni Lewis from the Queensland University of Technology shared her evaluation on the effectiveness of messaging strategies that encourage more positive, prosocial driving behaviours and Dr Verity Truelove from the University of the Sunshine Coast discussed her research on deterrence and technology that notifies drivers of enforcement locations. The team from MotoCAP also presented on advancements in motorcycle protective gear testing.

Insurance Commissioner, Neil Singleton was guest speaker at this year’s Queensland’s RECOVER Injury Research Centre Conference.  RECOVER has been funded by MAIC since 1997.  This year’s Conference theme was ‘New Horizons: artificial intelligence and pain conceptualisation’. The Conference was well attended and showcased current research being undertaken across RECOVER’s two research programs: ‘Technology-enabled rehabilitation’ and ‘Improving health outcomes after musculoskeletal injury’.

The Emergency Medical Foundation (EMF) and Jamieson Trauma Institute brought together clinicians, researchers and stakeholders to discuss how research can improve emergency trauma care in rural and remote Queensland.  

At the symposium, six recipients of this funding arrangement presented including clinicians from Queensland Ambulance Service, Townsville Hospital, Retrieval Services Queensland and the Royal Flying Doctor’s Service.  Their research spans a wide range of issues including traumatic brain injury, pain relief, major haemorrhage, and evaluating the current Royal Flying Doctor Service model of trauma care.
 
MAIC has been collaborating with EMF since 2021, where funding was provided to establish a special grants program focused specifically on trauma care in regional, rural and remote Queensland and getting clinicians working in these areas involved in research. MAIC recently extended our funding of this program for an additional three years. We look forward to realising further benefits in terms of enhancing trauma care across our vast state.

MAIC was proud to sponsor the Australian & New Zealand Trauma Society (ANZTS) Trauma Conference 2024. This event attracted delegates in the trauma care field and aimed to improve trauma services across Australia and New Zealand. 

Notable presentations included the MAIC funded ‘ICU of the Future’ project, a Queensland-led initiative aiming to reduce Intensive Care Delirium and improve patient outcomes. An evaluation of this project is underway.

Insurance Commissioner, Neil Singleton provided an overview of the CTP scheme and focused on MAIC’s role in regional and remote trauma in particular as a means of enhancing patient equity for those injured through road trauma.

The Conference also featured several presentations from researchers at the MAIC funded Jamieson Trauma Institute at Metro North, including mDRIFT (focused on reducing infections following surgical implants) and the Queensland Injury Atlas. These presentations were well received and evidenced how our collaborations are enhancing trauma management in Queensland.

MAIC staff recently attended the 8th annual Bold Ideas Better Solutions (BIBS) Symposium hosted by The Hopkins Centre at the Princess Alexandra Hospital’s Translational Research Institute.

A partnership between MAIC, Griffith University and the Metro South Hospital and Health Service, The Hopkins Centre was established in 2017 and is a leading translational research centre in the field of rehabilitation, pain and severe disability.

The theme of BIBS 2024 was Interdisciplinary research: solving complex rehabilitation challenges and the day saw an impressive number of researchers, clinicians, consumers and industry representatives come together to dissect intricate rehabilitation issues, emerging health and disability research and trends, and deliver insightful panel discussions.

Key highlights of the day included an impressive number of presentations covering topics such as vocational rehabilitation, fatigue and return to driving following brain injury, and improving and sustaining mental health and social connections after serious injury. It was also pleasing to hear of the research outcomes facilitated by the MAIC-funded Seed Grants. These included managing sleep disturbances post-spinal cord injury, enhancing home modifications utilising 3D visualisation technology, and EPIC:Tech (harnessing new technology to increase interdisciplinary collaboration and streamline hospital allied health services).