CEIH has partnered in a University of South Australia led research project ‘EQUIPP’, to trial a ‘whole-of-community’ intervention to improve access to evidence-based care for people living with chronic pain in rural Australia.
The research is based in two rural areas (the Limestone Coast and Western Victoria) and will co-design and implement a combined educational intervention aimed at increasing:
(i) local healthcare professionals' capacity to provide evidence-based care; and
(ii) the local community's understanding of chronic pain and how lifestyle changes can help with recovery.
Over a four-year period (July 2024 - June 2028), EQUIPP will look at whether patterns of healthcare utilisation (e.g. volume of opioids dispensed, imaging rates, emergency department presentations and hospital admissions) and other outcomes (e.g. workdays lost due to chronic pain, self-reported pain-related knowledge, quality of life, physical function) are improved by the intervention.
The research is funded through the Australian Federal Government's Medical Research Future Fund, with UniSA the only South Australian university recipient.
To read more about the project visit the University of South Australia webpage here.