IMPORTANT: This information may be subject to change.

Welcome to the RACGP online grant application service, powered by SmartyGrants.

The HCF Research Foundation and the RACGP Foundation have established a research grant for the purpose of funding research into health services issues of relevance to general practice.

The HCF Research Foundation is a not-for-profit charitable trust established to encourage health service research for the benefit of all Australians, with objectives to assist in the improvement of prevention, treatment and cure of diseases. The focus of the HCF Research Foundation is achieving implementation of research activities.

Health services research examines how people get access to health care, how much health care costs, and what happens to patients as a result of this care. The main goals of health services research are considered to be to identify the most effective ways to organise, manage, finance, and deliver high quality care; reduce medical errors; and improve patient safety.

Award details

Two grants of up to $60,000 each (excluding GST) are available for a period of one year to fund research into health services issues of relevance to general practice.  This might include access to care, effectiveness of care, quality of care, efficiency of care, or cost of care.

This grant is made available by the HCF Research Foundation with matched funds provided by the RACGP Foundation.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the HCF Research Foundation/ RACGP Foundation research grant, the principal investigator must be a general practitioner or general practice registrar.

Selection criteria

Applications will be assessed against the following criteria:

• scientific basis of the proposed research project 40%
• significance or importance of the proposed research to health services issues of relevance to general practice 20%
• likelihood that the results can be implemented in the short to medium term 10%
• feasibility of carrying out and completing the research in a one-year time frame 10%
• value for money 10%
• potential to build capacity in general practice research 10%

Applications

Applications for this research grant will open 5 March 2018. For more information email foundation@racgp.org.au.

There are over 125 million general practice consultations taking place annually in Australia, with 83% of the Australian population consulting a GP at least once a year. General practitioners (GPs) provide person centred, continuing and comprehensive medical care to individuals and families within their community.

General practitioners are not limited by age, gender, body system, disease process or service site. The scope of clinical practice is challenging, spanning prevention, health promotion, early intervention for those at risk, and the management of acute, chronic and complex conditions within the practice population whether in the home, practice, health service, outreach clinic, hospital or community. General practitioners utilise best practice evidence in the light of individual patient circumstances, to understanding, plan and manage their patients’ health needs.

There are many guidelines providing best practice and evidence for managing different conditions for GPs. The aim of this grant is to support guidelines research that investigates use and implementation of TGL point of care guidelines in general practice. Specifically, research topics focusing on:

• Content and format of TGL electronic and book products: presentation, useability, navigation, access and functionality of guidelines – how do GPs want information presented and implemented?
• Behavioural aspects of guideline use: how do people use TGL guidelines, how often, what is looked up, when, why and how can this be improved?
• Consequence (outcome): benefits of using TGL guidelines to improve prescribing and health outcomes.
• Evidence-practice gaps: do Australian GPs follow TGL guidelines well, and if not, why not?

While research falling under any of these areas will be considered, studies focusing on (3) benefits of using TGL guidelines to improve prescribing and health outcomes are encouraged as areas of particular interest to TGL. Both pilot studies and proposals for full-scale research studies will be considered. The grant is not designed to support primary research on clinical issues or guidelines development.

Award Details

Up to two grants (one large and one smaller project) to a total value of up to $100,000 (excl. GST) will be offered for a period up to 18 months to fund a project(s) focusing on use and/or implementation of TGL guidelines in general practice.

This grant is made available by Therapeutic Guidelines Limited and administered by the RACGP Foundation.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the TGL/RACGP Research Grant in 2017, the principal investigator or at least one member of the research team must be a GP or GP registrar.

Selection criteria

Applications will be assessed against the following criteria:

• significance or importance of the proposed research to general practice and use and/or implementation of TGL guidelines 30%
• scientific quality and originality of the proposed research project 30%
• feasibility of carrying out and completing the research in an 18-month timeframe 30%
• appropriateness of proposed budget to fulfil research objectives 10%

Applications

Expressions of interest are called for this research grant, and will open in March 2018. Following assessment of expressions of interest, selected researchers will be invited to submit an application for funding in mid-May. For more information email foundation@racgp.org.au.

If you are interested in working on this project please contact Alyssa Horgan amunkman@uow.edu.au or 02 4221 5819.