WOMBAT Newsletter
    December 2007


Welcome to the December issue of WOMBAT News. In this issue we would like to draw your attention to the WOMBAT & IMPACT Workshops and the Perinatal Mortality Meeting to be held on the Gold Coast in April 2008.

The WOMBAT Collaboration extends season’s greetings to you and your families and wishes you all a very safe and joyous festive season.

In this issue:

Trial Updates:

Trials requiring more centres & more recruits

BOOST II: Benefits of Oxygen Saturation Targeting Study
Should you like more information on becoming involved in this trial: visit perinatal trials page or email boost2@ctc.usyd.edu.au

PPROMT Trial: Preterm Pre-Labour Rupture of Membranes Close to Term Trial
Should you like more information on becoming involved in this trial: visit perinatal trials page or email ppromt@med.usyd.edu.au

PROGRESS Trial: Progesterone after previous preterm birth for the prevention of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome
Should you like more information on becoming involved in this trial: visit perinatal trials page or email progress@adelaide.edu.au

TWINS: Timing of Birth at Term – a randomised controlled trial (ACTOBAT)
Should you like more information on becoming involved in this trial: visit perinatal trials page or http://www.health.adelaide.edu.au/og/research/mpctu.html or email twins@adelaide.edu.au

News:

EQUATOR Network: a new resource centre for good research reporting 

The EQUATOR Network website - the new resource centre for good research reporting http://www.equator-network.org/ 

A new website has been launched. This website provides resources for good reporting of health research. The resources are aimed at researchers (authors of research articles), journal editors, peer reviewers, and developers of reporting guidelines. 

The most important website feature is a collection of reporting guidelines that includes:

Ř       CONSORT Statement (for reporting randomised controlled trials)

Ř       QUOROM, recently renamed PRISMA (for reporting systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomised trials)

Ř       STROBE Statement (for reporting observational studies in epidemiology)

Ř       STARD Statement (for reporting diagnostic accuracy studies)

Ř       and many other guidelines identified through extensive literature searches

The website will be continually developed to provide up-to-date published and in-house developed resources facilitating good research reporting and the development of robust reporting guidelines:

Ř       reporting guidelines

Ř       tools facilitating the use of reporting guidelines

Ř       educational materials and training courses relating to the use of reporting guidelines

Ř       relevant methodology literature

Ř       guidance for the development of robust reporting guidelines.

The available resources will be tailored to meet the needs of our main user groups.

The website was developed as part of the EQUATOR Network project in collaboration with Minervation, a web design group specializing in knowledge management in evidence-based health care.

For more information about the EQUATOR Network visit their website http://www.equator-network.org/

 

NHMRC research grants and awards: 2009 timetable

Schedule of funding schemes including opening and closing dates beginning in 2009 are now posted at this site http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/news/tracker/tracker07/071207.htm

 

Queensland Nursing Council (QNC) 2008 Research Grants now open

Research undertaken with QNC funding ranges from small hospital-based projects to extensive state-wide research projects; with all research activities having the potential to contribute significantly to nursing and/or midwifery practice in Queensland and to improving health outcomes.

For more information please visit: http://www.qnc.qld.gov.au/home/content.aspx?content=Grants,_Scholarships_&_Bursaries/Research_Grants

New Papers:

Svensson J, Barclay L, Cooke M. Randomised-controlled trial of two antenatal education programmes. Midwifery 2007 (epub)

WOMBAT Meetings / Workshops:

Further information available on the WOMBAT website Conferences page

April 2008, Gold Coast
 

WOMBAT Collaboration Protocol Workshop: Designing a protocol for a maternal or perinatal RCT
April 18 - 19
Education Centre, Gold Coast Hospital, Little High Street, Southport

Participants will work through the development of a protocol for a randomised trial and at the end of the workshop will have completed a basic protocol document. No prior experience is necessary; however, if possible, participants should bring to the workshop a clinical question which could be worked into a trial protocol.

 

For more information, please go to Conferences  or contact Rebecca Tooher: rebecca.tooher@adelaide.edu.au or phone +61 8 8161 7660

 

Perinatal Mortality Meeting
April 18
Education Centre, Gold Coast Hospital, Little High Street, Southport

For more information, please go to http://www.psanzpnmsig.org/ or contact Vicki Flenady: Vicki.Flenady@mater.org.au   

 

IMPACT Network Workshop
April 19 - 20
Education Centre, Gold Coast Hospital, Little High Street, Southport

 

PRELIMINARY NOTICE AND CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

Main Workshop Themes:

v      Presentations of trials in the planning stages & trials already underway requiring new centres and/or recruits

v      Guideline Development and Getting Research Into Practice

For detailed information on programme & abstract format and registration please go to http://www.psanzimpact.org or contact Kate Levett: klevett@med.usyd.edu.au

Cochrane Work-in
April 20
Education Centre, Gold Coast Hospital, Little High Street, Southport

The work-in provides and opportunity for Cochrane authors to progress their Cochrane review titles, protocols, and reviews with the support of experienced reviewers.

For further details please contact Philippa Middleton: philippa.middleton@adelaide.edu.au or Phone: 08 8161 7612

Other Meetings / Workshops:

January 2008, Perth 

14th Conference of the International Society for Research in Human Milk and Lactation (ISRHML)

January 31 – February 5

The University of Western Australia

For more information, please go to http://www.isrhml.org.umu.se/

March 2008, Perth

Involving People in Research Symposium
March 5 – 6
The University Club
A national symposium on consumer and community participation in health and medical research
For more information, please go to www.sph.uwa.edu.au/go/sph/involvingpeopleinresearch

April 2008, Gold Coast

Australian College Neonatal Nurses Association Inc Annual Conference “Nurturing Generation Z”
April 19 – 20

Holiday Inn, Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast
The annual conference will discuss the themes Neurodevelopment and targeted screening and intervention programmes for preterm & near term infants and will feature keynote presentations by A/Prof Joy Browne, Dr Julia Pitcher and Dr Margo Pritchard.
For further information, please go to: www.acnn.org.au 
 

Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand Annual Congress “Celebrating 25 years: Reflections and Projections”
April 20 – 23

Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre
For further information, please go to: www.psanz.org.au

June 2008, UK

Perinatal Medicine 2008
June 2 - 4
Harrogate, UK.
For further information, please go to: http://www.perinatalmedicine2008.ukevents.org/default.htm

June 2008, Netherlands

Fetal and Neonatal Physiological Society 35th Annual Meeting
June 22 - 25
Maastricht, Netherlands.

The FNPS is a society for investigators in the field of fetal and neonatal physiology. The conference promotes discussion and exchange of ideas between physiologists, obstetricians and neonatologists. For more information please visit:  http://www.fnps-society.org

Further Information

For more information on WOMBAT initiatives, please contact the WOMBAT Collaboration national co-ordinator: p.middleton@WOMBATcollaboration.net

The WOMBAT Collaboration is funded through a NHMRC enabling grant