The Kolling Institute’s Professor Sue Kurrle and her team at the Rehabilitation and Aged Care Network at Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital have been running clinical trials for 25 years, looking at dementia, frailty, and falls to name just some areas.
“We do trials as it keeps you cutting edge and they are really important for our patients,” she says.
As a geriatrician on the frontline, Sue is well positioned to identify the critical areas that need attention.
“You want to do the research that helps answer some of the questions that your clinical practice throws up,” she says.
Falls research
Sue says one of the most impactful trials she participated in was during her PhD research on hip protectors for older people.
Her study found that the underwear with built-in plastic “shields” stopped people from breaking or fracturing their hips when they fell.
“I got involved in hip protectors because we were looking after so many hip fracture patients in our rehab ward at Hornsby,” she says.
“It was the same with dementia and with frailty. Everything we’ve done in research has been driven by what you see in clinical practice.”
Dementia
With an ageing population in the area, Sue and the team have had a long interest in dementia.
Since 1999, they have run 56 trials for dementia drugs, some of which are part of global studies. Although most haven’t been especially successful, Sue says a recent tablet is promising, with the results soon to be published.
“The biggest message is that exercise is much more effective than medication in slowing the decline once you have dementia, or in delaying its onset. It’s one of the 12 modifiable risk factors,” she explains.
In 2012, the NHMRC awarded her $25 million for the Cognitive Decline Partnership Centre, which funded 32 projects across the country which looked at care for people with dementia.
“We developed the clinical practice guidelines for management of dementia, which were the first ones ever done in Australia,” she says.
Frailty
The frailty intervention trial (2011 to 2013) involved 241 frail Hornsby residents. One group received exercise and nutrition interventions, while other received normal care. The experimental group saw numerous benefits.
“We turned frailty around,” she says, adding that the research is now being implemented in hospitals throughout Northern Sydney, with another frailty study soon to be published.
Clinical trials can last up to five years, and older patients often bring a relative along. Sue and her colleagues, including clinical trials research coordinator Roseanne Hogarth and clinical nurse specialist Bronwyn Cook have developed close relationships, knowing their families, pets, and even sharing coffee outings.
“They are like family,” says Sue. “The advantage of working in a smaller hospital is we really get to know our patients.”