Research

Ramsay Outcome Measure Database project

Outcome measures are standardised tools used to assess patients’ health status over time, helping clinicians to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions and guide individualised treatment planning. They are an important part of high-quality rehabilitation, providing information on patients’ progress, functional abilities, and quality of life. The Ramsay Rehabilitation Outcome Measure Database is a national initiative designed to systematically track and analyse these outcomes which are collected as part of routine clinical care, thereby enhancing our ability to monitor patient progress, evaluate the effectiveness of interventions, and inform service improvement. The database also provides a valuable resource for clinical research and quality improvement projects, fostering innovation and collaboration across the allied health team to optimise recovery and functional outcomes for all patients.

Co-designing a Day Rehabilitation Stroke Program using an Integrated Knowledge Transition Approach

Stroke is the second leading cause of disability worldwide, affecting 40,700 Australians each year. While survival rates are improving, one in four Australian stroke survivors experience recurrent stroke. The proposed study will use the Integrated Knowledge Translation approach over a 12 month period. Through a four-stage process, the research team and participants will collaboratively identify program needs, design core components, and refine the final rehabilitation program. Recruitment will include stroke survivors and allied health professionals, with supports in place to ensure meaningful participation. Including both stroke survivors and healthcare professionals as participants will ensure the intervention is evidence-based, relevant, and user-informed. Data will be collected via workshop recordings, notes, and demographic questionnaires, with outcomes intended to guide the development of a more effective and accessible stroke rehabilitation service.

Investigating changes in quality of life and participation in daily activities in older adults following fast stream inpatient rehabilitation for hospital associated deconditioning

An Occupational Therapy research project partnered with Dr Amanda Timmer, Federation University.

Investigating and implementing person centred care (PCC) for Occupational Therapists working in fast stream rehabilitation at Donvale Rehabilitation Hospital utilising input from multiple stakeholders (Donvale Rehabilitation Hospital patients, occupational therapists and published literature).

An Occupational Therapy research project partnered with Dr Amanda Timmer, Federation University.

Investigating changes in concerns about falling (as measured by the Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I)) following individualised occupational therapy falls education for adults admitted with a high falls risk for inpatient fast stream rehabilitation

An Occupational Therapy research project partnered with Dr Amanda Timmer, Federation University.

Participation in external research projects:

The RICH (Rehabilitation In the Community and Hospital Outpatient setting) project

Australasian Rehabilitation Outcomes Centre (AROC), The University of Sydney, have partnered with Ramsay to develop and implement a set of ambulatory outcome measures across public and private settings, and to identify variation in outcome measures and equity in provision of ambulatory rehabilitation through benchmarking. The RICH project builds off the existing Ramsay rehabilitation outcome measures to create a new ambulatory data collection that can be collected by all private and public rehab data providers across Australia and New Zealand. A Translational grant from the Ramsay Hospital Research Foundation of $400,000 was awarded for this project.

The POWER study: Effects of a physiotherapist-delivered dietary weight loss program in addition to exercise in people with knee osteoarthritis who have overweight or obesity – a randomised controlled trial. CHESM (Centre for Health, Exercise and Sports Medicine), The University of Melbourne

Ramsay Health Plus (Tunstall Square) was involved in this study as a trial site, contributing 80 Telehealth sessions with 16 different patients over the course of the study. The results can be viewed at:
Allison, K., Jones, S., Hinman, R. S., Pardo, J., Li, P., DeSilva, A., & Bennell, K. L. (2024). Alternative models to support weight loss in chronic musculoskeletal conditions: effectiveness of a physiotherapist-delivered intensive diet programme for knee osteoarthritis, the POWER randomised controlled trial. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 58(10), 538–547.

Monitoring the Influence Of care for patients with kNee osteoarthritis (MOTION). La Trobe University

Ramsay Health Plus (Tunstall Square) was involved in this study as a trial site. The objective was to evaluate the effect of improved access to appropriate first line care on the proportion of people with knee OA, triaged to an advanced musculoskeletal physiotherapy service in the community, being waitlisted for, undergoing, or desiring TKR, compared to usual tertiary hospital care pathways at 12 months following referral to orthopaedic opinion. Participants were referred to Ramsay Health Plus GLAD program at Tunstall Square as part of the treatment arm of the study. This trial is now complete.

Espernberger, K., Peiris, C., Ramage, E., Suttie, L., Symington, M., Brunker, R., & Fini, N. (2025). My MAPS: incorporating personal and social factors to increase physical activity after stroke: a co-design study. Disability and Rehabilitation, 1-8.

Espernberger, K., Fini, N. A., Ezzat, A., & Peiris, C. L. (2025). Measuring Exercise Self-Efficacy After Stroke: Validity and Reliability of Current Measures. Journal of Neurologic Physical Therapy, 49(1), 33-41.

Espernberger, K., Fini, N., & Peiris, C. (2025). Physical activity patterns in independently mobile adult stroke survivors: an in-depth exploratory, observational study. Disability and Rehabilitation, 1-7.

Bennington, C., Isaksen, J., Shiggins, C., Beesley, E., Beesley, K., Simmons-Mackie, N. & Wallace, S. J. (2025). International priorities for a unified aphasia awareness campaign: a nominal group technique study across five countries. Disability and Rehabilitation, 1-21.

Bennington, C., Shiggins, C., Isaksen, J., Beesley, E., Beesley, K., & Wallace, S. J. (2024). What does it mean to be aphasia aware? An international survey of stakeholder perspectives and experiences of aphasia awareness. Aphasiology, 38(12), 1916-1939.

Espernberger, K., Fini, N. A., & Peiris, C. L. (2023). Identity, social engagement and community participation impact physical activity levels of stroke survivors: a mixed-methods study. Clinical rehabilitation, 37(6), 836-850.

Espernberger, K. R., Fini, N. A., & Peiris, C. L. (2021). Personal and social factors that influence physical activity levels in community-dwelling stroke survivors: a systematic review of qualitative literature. Clinical rehabilitation, 35(7), 1044-1055.

Timmer, A. J., Unsworth, C. A., & Browne, M. (2020). Occupational therapy and activity pacing with hospital-associated deconditioned older adults: a randomised controlled trial. Disability and Rehabilitation, 42(12), 1727-1735.

Langley, A. Improving Bedside Clinical Handover and Patient Identification to Enhance Patient Safety: A Quality Improvement Project. Australian Rehabilitation Nurses’ Association Conference (ARNA), Melbourne, 2025.

Bennington, C. Co-design of a unified, international aphasia awareness campaign. Postgraduate Research Conference. The University of Queensland, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, 2023.

Espernberger, K. Self-efficacy, pre-stroke identity and social networks: Important influencers of post-stroke physical activity. Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) THRIVE Conference, Brisbane, 2023.

Espernberger, K. Measuring exercise self-efficacy after stroke: validity and reliability of current measures for community-dwelling stroke survivors. Karl Espernberger, Poster presentation. Smart Strokes, Stroke Society of Australasia, Melbourne, 2023.

Bennington, C. “International stakeholder perspectives about aphasia awareness”. Nordic Aphasia Conference, Reykjavik, Iceland 2023.

DeCata, L., Pound, E. and Timmer, A. ‘Enhancing the occupational therapy orthopaedic spinal program: Practical applications of evidence-based practice’, National OT Exchange Conference, Melbourne, 2022.

Espernberger, K., R., Fini, N.A. and Peiris, C.L Personal and social factors that influence physical activity levels in community-dwelling stroke survivors: A systematic review of qualitative literature. Promoting Progress Conference, La Trobe University, Melbourne, 2021.

Espernberger, K., R., Fini, N.A. and Peiris, C.L. Personal and social factors that influence physical activity levels in community-dwelling stroke survivors: A systematic review of qualitative literature. APA THRIVE National Neurological Rehabilitation Research evening, 2021.

Schache, M., Timmer A., Unsworth, C. Measuring patient change during rehabilitation- the responsiveness of a standard set of outcome measures. National Allied Health Conference, 2021. Timmer, A., Schache, M., Haig, J., French, D. Measuring patient change during rehabilitation- the establishment of a national outcome measure database and preliminary data analysis. National Allied Health Conference, 2021.

Espernberger, K., R., Fini, N.A. and Peiris, C.L. Identity, social engagement and community participation impact physical activity levels of stroke survivors: A mixed-methods study. Smart Strokes, Sydney, 2022.

McNeill, M and Timmer, A. Activate - A new multidisciplinary Oncology Outpatient Program. National OT Exchange-Virtual Conference, 2020.