> Publications & presentations > PHC RIS infonet > August 2008 > Snapshot of Australian primary health care research

Snapshot of Australian primary health care research

The Primary Health Care Research and Information Service (PHC RIS) launched the Snapshot of Australian primary health care research at the 2008 General Practice and Primary Health Care Research Conference. Snapshot highlights research produced by some of Australia 's primary health care researchers, and demonstrates the potential for this field of research to improve the health of Australians.

This snapshot of Australian primary health care research illustrates the tangible benefits of evidence based primary care. This research represents the Australian community and the researchers' work to create a better health system for older Australians, Indigenous Australians, those living with a chronic disease, those that are terminally ill, and those Australians living in rural and remote areas.

For example one of the research projects featured in this publication examined the effect of suicide clusters in the NT, a unique and discrete phenomenon in which a single suicide seems to precipitate a series of other suicides and, in some cases, further ‘echo' clusters, and found that half of the total Indigenous suicides in the Northern Territory were potentially preventable.

Another research project looked to challenge the conventional advice often given to patients to keep a sutured wound covered and dry for 48 hours, as for patients living in tropical climates such advice is not always easy to follow. This study found that, following suturing, of patients participating in the trial who were told to uncover the wound within 12 hours and not to fret about getting it wet, their incidence of infection was similar to those told to keep the wound covered for 48 hours (8.4% versus 8.9%).

The research represented in the publication is funded by the Primary Health Care Research, Evaluation and Development (PHCRED) Strategy, a program designed to improve Australia 's capacity to produce high quality primary health care research. This publication can be viewed at <www.phcris.org.au/snapshot>. Copies can be ordered by calling 1800 025 882.