Medical student project finds diabetes care in Gippsland outperforming national average
A recent student project by final year medical student Eugene Wang has highlighted that Central Gippsland Health Service provides better care than the national average for paediatric type 1 diabetes outpatient service, based on HbA1c levels (a marker of blood glucose).
Completed as part of a six week Scholarly Intensive Placement [SIP], Eugene undertook a retrospective audit of the paediatric Type 1 Diabetes (T1DM) outpatient clinic at Central Gippsland Health Service, focussing on patient demographics, glycaemic control and long term patient outcomes.
As well as highlighting the superior performance of the Central Gippsland Health Service compared to the national average, the research also showed the effectiveness of timely screening of co-morbidities such as thyroid and celiac disease in patients at the clinic. The research also highlighted areas requiring further attention in order to promote continuous quality improvement and excellence in patient-centred care.
During his Scholarly Intensive Placement, Eugene found the project was directly applicable in promoting continuous quality improvement and excellence in patient-centred diabetes care in the real world.
“There is a big gap between a project and real-world changes. This SIP was a quality improvement project at a local hospital, so I felt that this gap was significantly decreased. I feel validated in my ability to interpret my results and make recommendations.”
Eugene also felt that the project was very rewarding and helped strengthen his skills in research.
“The most rewarding aspect of my Scholarly Intensive Project was working with and receiving feedback from experienced clinician supervisors, as well as presenting my findings to the healthcare professionals involved in running the T1DM outpatient clinic. This research project equipped me with valuable skills and knowledge in critical appraisal, statistical analysis and quality assurance.”
Eugene’s academic co-ordinator, Casey Stubbs, commended his work, noting his research provided a great benefit to the Central Gippsland Health Service diabetes outpatient service - highlighting how much of an impact Scholarly Intensive Placement projects are able to have in only six weeks.
“Eugene’s research project has been utilised within the organisation to help streamline and improve the delivery of diabetes outpatient service, as well as celebrate their achievements in service provision.”
Overall, Eugene found his experience during his Scholarly Intensive Placement was overwhelmingly positive, and vital to improving health service in rural areas.
“Rural health research is crucial to understanding the unique challenges and needs of rural communities, and facilitating improvement and innovation in service delivery.”
Eugene recently presented his findings at the Doctors for Regional Innovation, Vision, Excellence, Research & Scholarship (DRIVERS) 2024 conference on 7 September presented by the North West Victoria Regional Training Hub, and received the Best Poster Presentation award for his presentation.