Wishlist and the Sunshine Coast
Hospital and Health Service’s Study, Education, Research Trust fund (SERTF) are
on a mission to reduce the number of children that lose their lives to sepsis by
funding vital research into the deadly condition.
The Sunshine Coast Community knows
the story of little Finn Smith—the 13-month-old boy who lost his hands and feet
in 2013 to Meningococcal Septicaemia. Or, as it’s more commonly known, Sepsis.
Finn was one of the lucky ones. Sepsis is one of the most
common causes of death among Australian children.
On September 13, World Sepsis Day,
Finn’s Mum Sarah Coureas spoke to a room of 800 people at Wishlist’s Spring
Carnival to raise awareness and money for Sepsis research on the Sunshine Coast.
The event raised a staggering $214,743 - a fundraising record for the
Coast’s Hospital Foundation.
Since the event, Wishlist and SERTF
have announced their commitment to direct close to $90,000 to important sepsis
research. The funding will allow the Sunshine Coast University Hospital’s (SCUH)
Paediatric Intensive Care Specialist Dr Paula Lister to conduct two
sepsis-related projects that will change the way the common disease is
diagnosed and treated.
Executive Director of Medical Services for the Sunshine
Coast Hospital and Health Service, Prof. Deborah Bailey, said Wishlist’s contribution
to local research was enormous.
“Wishlist is funding $360,000 worth of research now on the
Sunshine Coast across a range of initiatives. But all of them are to improve
quality outcomes and a lot of it is to do with Sepsis.
“This research is
about early resuscitation using high end medication to save babies and children
with sepsis.
“Sepsis has been with us forever. But we’re getting smarter
and we’re introducing new medication and new therapies all the time. So, we’re
always learning and improving and getting better results,” said Prof. Bailey.
The vital research will benefit families on the Coast and potentially
much further afield.
“What we expect is that we will have a protocol that can be
rolled out to hospitals across Australia, New Zealand and the world, that will
improve the outcomes of the sickest patients.
“Our research funding and our research profile wouldn’t
exist without the funding that we get through Wishlist and the Hospital’s fund,
which Wishlist also supports.”
Eleven other projects have been given the green light as part of a
$363,352 commitment to local research.
Other projects include research
into the effectiveness of mindfulness-based group interventions for mental
health concerns in expectant mothers, continued investment into antimicrobial
resistance due to antibiotic over-subscription, a study of emergency department
presentations and treatment of falls among the elderly.
Wishlist has directed more than $1.5 million
towards local research projects to support the Sunshine Coast Hospital and
Health Service.
As part of its mission, Wishlist recognises the need to support and encourage research activity that contributes to improved healthcare outcomes for the Sunshine Coast and wider community and adds to the body of research knowledge.
