 |
Fourth year students Mariam Hassan, Neda So
and Eliott with her mother in ED |
Monash University medical students worked tirelessly last week to undertake a research study to help determine why parents bring their
children to the Emergency Departments (EDs) at Monash Health.
The first of its kind, the study will link the advice sought
prior to ED presentation, triage categories, reasons for presenting and the
outcomes of ED attendance.
Led by Monash Paediatric Emergency Department’s Associate
Professor Simon Craig, the study was carried out over one week from 15 to 22
June in the EDs at Monash Medical Centre (MMC) and Casey Hospital.
“Thanks to the hard work and commitment of our medical
students, more than 950 patient surveys were completed in just one week. Without their help, we couldn’t have done this
study,” said Associate Professor Craig.
 |
Final year medical student Scott McNeil
with Lucia and her father in ED |
Coordinated and rostered by final year medical student Scott
McNeil, 48 students volunteered to work a combination of day, evening and night
shifts to ensure 24/7 coverage of the two hospitals for the whole study period—and
in their holidays no less!
“Our students did a fantastic job, entering the data pretty
much in real time,” said Associate Professor Craig. “We hope that this sort of research model may
be useful for future studies, not only in the ED but in the rest of the
hospital as well.”
Participation in the study was 100% voluntary, and all medical
students were recruited through the Monash University Paediatric Promotion,
Interest and Training Society (MUPPITS) Facebook page.
“Student
involvement was vital to the project,” said MUPPITS Chair Scott McNeil.
“In order to
gain the required study participants, we had 24 hour presence in both emergency
departments at MMC and Casey, allowing us to get real-time data.“
“Without the
large number of students sacrificing their holidays, we couldn’t have achieved
it,” said Scott.
Most medical students don’t have time to complete a full
research project from beginning to end and Associate Professor Craig was keen
to give the students a taste of research.
“The students experienced how data is collected in ‘real
life’, with all of the challenges of approaching patients and families, asking
questions and data entry,” said Associate Professor Craig.
“They were also exposed to a large amount of time in the
ED—a great opportunity to see how the department really works.”
Fourth year medical student Mariam Hassan said being
involved in the study was a terrific opportunity to see first-hand how research
works. Mariam and fellow student Neda So volunteered to cover the ED for the
project from 11pm to 8am, their first night shift experience.
“It was really interesting to see the patient experience and
how ED operates at night,” said fourth year medical student Neda.
“As well as contributing to this research and helping Associate
Professor Craig with the project, we’re getting great clinical and teaching
experience.”
The results of the study will be used to plan future
services at Monash Children’s Hospital.
The Victorian Cancer Agency, in partnership with the Children's
Cancer Foundation, is launching the Children's Cancer Foundation Clinical
Research Fellowship. 
