Bridge to Better Health: A cluster randomised controlled trial for capacity building in intellectual disability health for general practice
About this research
The Bridge to Better Health project is dedicated to enhancing the health care experience for patients with intellectual disabilities by boosting the capacity of practice nurses to implement annual health assessments in primary healthcare settings.
Who can participate
You're eligible to participate in this study if you’re:
A practice nurse:
- currently working in a general practice
- aged over 18 years of age.
A patient:
- with a diagnosis of intellectual disability
- aged over 15 years of age.
What's involved
In this randomised trial you will be placed into either the intervention group or the usual care group.
Practice nurses and general practitioners participating in the intervention group will receive the following for one year:
- access to a specialist intellectual disability nurse for one year. This nurse will provide direct support via monthly check ins and support the facilitation of an annual health assessment.
- online education developed in conjunction with health professionals, experts in the field and people with lived experience of intellectual disability. The content will aim to fill any gaps in knowledge for practice nurses and other practice staff about providing effective health care to patients with intellectual disability. This education can count towards CPD.
- online resources that have been curated from international and national sources into an accessible, and easy to manage website page. This resource will save practice nurses time in searching for appropriate resources.
You’ll also have the opportunity to participate in further optional interviews.
Benefits of participating
All participants will receive a gift card for completing optional interviews.
The education provided to practice nurses and staff can contribute to CPD.
How to participate
If you meet the eligibility criteria and you're interested in participating, email b2bhealth@mater.uq.edu.au.
Ethics, data collection and privacy
This study has been approved by The University of Queensland Human Research Ethics Committee [Approval No.2024/HE000046].
Contact
If you have any questions, email b2bhealth@mater.uq.edu.au or phone 07 3163 2412.