Nursing researchers from Western Health have received $484,836 in funding from the Federal Government’s Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF).
MRFF funding supports clinical trials to test the effectiveness and safety of new healthcare treatments, aiming to fill gaps in areas that need more research, support emerging researchers and their teams, and help researchers develop and bring their ideas to market earlier.
Professor Bodil Rasmussen will lead a potentially groundbreaking, life-changing health research project on Guided Self-Determination: a co-designed self-management program for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples living with type 2 diabetes. She will work with co-contributing researcher Tanya Druce our Aboriginal Health Research Lead.
Diabetes contributes to 3.3% of the total disease burden experienced by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples. Type 2 diabetes is a significant contributor to morbidity and mortality among Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples and poses an additional risk of multi-morbidity. There is a need for evidence-based, co-designed strategies to support self-determination in diabetes care for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples.
This project aims to determine the feasibility and acceptability of a culturally tailored Guided Self-Determination (GSD) program to improve diabetes self-management and well-being for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples living with type 2 diabetes. The GSD program will empower Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples, enable self-determination in the management of their type 2 diabetes and help to improve their wellbeing and quality of life.