RESEARCH AND EVALUATION
We actively partner with universities , hospitals , wider organisations and consumers to support evidence-based practice , improve our services and contribute to sector knowledge .
Our Research and Evaluation Committee champions and provides oversight of Merri Health ’ s research and evaluation activities , ensuring ethical conduct and alignment with our values and Strategic Directions . Key research projects this year included :
MARC healthy ageing partnership
We are proud to be the first community health service to partner with the Melbourne Ageing Research Collaboration ( MARC ).
Led by the National Ageing Research Institute , MARC is a collaboration between health , research , aged care , and advocacy organisations with a shared goal to improve the lives of older people .
It aims to provide practical and innovative solutions to urgent issues affecting older people , their carers and health professionals .
We joined MARC in January 2023 and collaborated on the Prolonged Grief In Older People ( PG65 +) resource development project .
Prolonged grief disorder affects 21 % of bereaved older people .
In conjunction with MARC , we developed a training resource to help aged care staff recognise the signs of prolonged grief disorder and support older people effectively .
What did we achieve ?
co-designed 10 micro-learning lessons on prolonged grief disorder of 5-10 minutes each , which were developed and published on the EdApp mobile app
provided feedback on content development , and were actively engaged in testing the usability and acceptability of this new micro-learning resource
improved staff knowledge about prolonged grief disorder , and increased confidence in supporting older adults with prolonged grief after using the EdApp micro-learning resource
found the app is user-friendly and delivers learning efficiently
Where can we improve ?
not all staff members who registered for the training completed the micro-learning lessons . In future , we will look at different ways to better engage staff in training
What ’ s next ?
supporting more Merri Health staff to complete the microlearning lessons on prolonged grief disorder
applying the micro-learning approach to more topics such as lessons on preventing falls at home for our aged care community
modifying the lessons so they can be made available to consumers as well as staff
36 Partnering for prevention and better health