Centre for Quality and Patient Safety Research (QPS)

Eastern Health Partnership

Our partnership with Eastern Health drives research to improve patient safety outcomes and patient experience of healthcare. The partnership between Eastern Health and Deakin University commenced in 1999 and our research spans acute, subacute, community and residential care settings. Our work informs strategic directions for clinical practice, education, research and healthcare policy development.

Our research activity

Our activities span acute, subacute, community and residential care. They inform strategic directions for clinical practice, education, research and healthcare policy development.

We recognise that a multidisciplinary approach is vital to patient care so we work with teams that include nurses, medical officers, allied health personnel, policy makers, health information technologists, patients and families.

Some of our areas of research interest include:

  • Clinical decision making and evidence-based practice in general medical and surgical care
  • Oncology, palliative and end-of-life care
  • Emergency care
  • Critical care
  • Perioperative and post-anaesthesia care
  • Residential aged care
  • Subacute care
  • Maternity and women's health

Our research agenda

We specialise in health services research with a focus on safety and quality of care and integrated knowledge translation. Our major areas of focus are implementation of evidence into practice; optimising clinical decision-making; and models of service delivery to enhance the quality and safety of health care. Our research activities span acute, subacute, community and residential care and inform strategic directions for clinical practice, education, research and healthcare policy development.

Current programs of research

Our research is strongly focused on quality and safety in health care and comprises three major programs of research.

Patient safety

Projects include:

  • Recognition and response to deteriorating patients in a number of settings including emergency care, acute care, mental health, cardiac catheter laboratory and subacute care
  • Evidence-based care of older people
  • Ensuring patient safety during transitions of care
  • Healthcare communication

Patient experience

Projects include:

  • Patient experience of transitions of care
  • Patient experience of clinical deterioration
  • Patient and family engagement during healthcare

Healthcare workforce

Projects include:

  • Evaluation of nurse practitioner and advanced practice nursing roles
  • Educational outcomes and graduate attributes of Team-Based Learning in specialist nursing practice
  • Use of digital teaching and learning methodologies
  • Dialectic models of nursing education and active learning

Meet our Researchers

Our team

The centre is led by Professor Julie Considine and supported by a highly-skilled team of researchers from a range of backgrounds. In addition, clinicians and higher degrees by research students (honours, master's, PhD) also contribute to the centre’s research activities.

Position Name
Chair in Nursing Prof. Julie Considine
Senior Research Fellow Dr Maryann Street
Research Fellow Debra Berry
Research FellowDr Lahiru Russell

Contact us

Deakin QPS

qps@deakin.edu.au

Eastern Health

Director
Professor Julie Considine
+61 3 9895 3177
Email Professor Considine

Eastern Health Partnership
Level 2, 5 Arnold Street
Box Hill, VIC 3128

Visit Eastern Health's website