The Centre’s research focus is on improving clinical outcomes for people with long-term, acute and complex conditions. Within this overarching focus our research involves interventions for the management of long-term conditions such as diabetes and bipolar disorders, women’s health needs and for people with intellectual disability.
This involves studies of both patient-centered and family centered care. The Centre has a number of international and national collaborations and conducts research in the multidisciplinary environments that reflect the realities of the clinical practice world.
Long term condition management research
The focus of this research group is the development of evidence-based healthcare to minimise the impact of chronic health needs on people’s lives. Research explores symptom experience, risk assessment, preventative care and symptom control issues, with particular emphasis on the enhancement of patient self-management strategies.
This programme draws principally on behavioural and social sciences. It aims to develop and evaluate care strategies for chronically ill people, such as patient/ client empowerment, treatment adherence, quality of life enhancement, and factors influencing the effectiveness of nursing models of service delivery.
Research activity in this group includes:
- Improving self-efficacy and quality of life for people with chronic health needs
- Nursing roles in chronic disease management
- Research with older people
Research studies are expected to lead to interventions that can be tested in clinical contexts and eventually evaluated for their contribution to strategies of care and improvement in quality of life for patients (and carers). The study of chronic health needs encompasses a broad spectrum of disease and age groups to include children, families, and older people.
Contact details
For more information on research conducted at the Centre for Postgraduate Nursing Studies, please contact:
Dr Mandy Wilkinson
Email mandy.wilkinson@otago.ac.nz
