CREBP to IEBH timeline

NHMRC Program Grant: Screening and Diagnostic Test Evaluation Program (STEP).

$8.9M over 5 years. The research focused on medical tests used for screening, diagnosis and monitoring, including both applied studies and the development of concepts and methods for test evaluation. This research was relevant to all partners in healthcare - consumers, clinicians and policymakers.

NHMRC Grant for the Centre for Research Excellence (CRE) in Minimising Antibiotic Resistance for Acute Respiratory Infections.

This CRE was funded in 2012 by an NHMRC grant for 5 years with $2.5. Its purpose is to provide research into the potentially reversible factors that give rise to antibiotic resistance from antibiotic prescribing for acute respiratory infections.

The Royal Australian College for general Practitioners (RACGP) Handbook for Non-Drug Interventions (HANDI) launch (Glasziou, Chair).

In 2013 we initiated, with the RACGP, the Handbook of Non-Drug Interventions (HANDI) that mirrors existing pharmacopoeias, including indications, contraindications and ‘dosing’, and aims to make ‘prescribing’ a non-drug therapy as easy and precise as writing a prescription. We are doing further research in three areas: (A) systematic reviews and/or trials of potential new non-drug treatments for HANDI; (B) Better uptake of the existing evidence-based treatments in HANDI; and (C) Development and evaluation of patient versions to enhance treatment fidelity and enable decision aids.

NHMRC Grant for the Cochrane Acute Respiratory Infections Editorial Group.

$478K over 4 years (Part 1) NHMRC is proud to work with the Cochrane Collaboration to support the transfer of research outcomes into improved knowledge, better health systems and improved treatment for individuals and their families. For more information on the Cochrane Collaboration visit the Collaboration’s website at, and for more information about what the Collaboration is doing in our region, including how to get involved, visit Cochrane Australia’s website.

CREBP initiates First International Scientific Conference on Preventing Overdiagnosis in Dartmouth, US.

The preventing overdiagnosis conference was first established in 2013, with the purpose to encourage national or regional conferences; encourage research generation and dissemination on the problem of overdiagnosis and potential solutions; encourage the development of educational curricula; encourage development and evaluation of strategies to communicate about overdiagnosis; encourage the development of a community or network of clinicians, researchers, policy-makers and citizen advocates.

Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TiDieR) checklist and guide published in the BMJ.

The quality of description of interventions in publications is poor. However, without details of the intervention, clinicians cannot use effective interventions in practice and other researchers cannot replicate, build upon or reliably synthesis findings. With the objective of improving the completeness of reporting, and ultimately the replicability, of interventions, a reporting guideline was developed.

Lancet Series on avoidable waste in research.

The Lancet presents a Series of five papers about research. These papers set out some of the most pressing issues, recommend how to increase value and reduce waste in biomedical research, and propose metrics for stakeholders to monitor the implementation of these recommendations.

Senior Principal Research Fellowship awarded to Professor Paul Glasziou.

Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service Conjoint Program in Evidence Based Practice.

$1 million over 5 years. Our Evidence-Based Practice Professorial Unit at Gold Coast University Hospital aims to ensure all health care workers are skilled users of research. The Unit is a joint initiative between Bond University and the Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service. We operate on the principle that the incorporation of the best evidence in routine clinical care leads to the best outcomes for patients. Improving the uptake of evidence into clinical care is supported by the delivery of training workshops in evidence-based practice, protocol writing, systematic reviews and knowledge translation.

NHMRC Program Grant: Using healthcare wisely: Reducing inappropriate use of tests and treatments.

$9.58 million in total, $2.4 million to Bond over 5 years. Overdiagnosis and overtreatment are an increasing unintended consequence of modern health care. They arise from several sources including: expanded definitions of disease, screening programs, and increased availability of highly sensitive diagnostic tests. These have led to unnecessary treatments and overutilization of the health care system. Our research addresses the broad and complex problems of overdiagnosis and overtreatment.

NHMRC CRE Grant: Creating Sustainable Healthcare: ensuring new diagnostics avoids harms, improve outcomes and direct resource’s wisely.

$2.5 million in total, $450,000 for Bond (over 5 years). This CRE investigates how best to respond to new diagnostics, to create sustainable health care that will minimise harms induced by overdiagnosis and overtreatment, optimise health outcomes, and direct health care resources to where they are needed most.

NHMRC CRE Grant: Testing, Translation and uptake of Evidence in General Practice: A Systems approach to rapid translation. 

$2.4 million in total, 1.4 million to Bond (over 5 years).

General practice is the frontline of the Australian health system with over 125 million and 200 million prescriptions per year. But GP practice is also complex. This research proposes to study and improve the uptake of evidence-based practices by GPs with a novel 3-element structure of: A. GP “clinical laboratory”; B. Practice support units; C. Australian GPs and general practices. Our research is unique in its systems approach to helping GPs more rapidly adopt best practice and build capacity and skills among influential GPs and their peers.

Australasian EQUATOR Centre Launch.

1 of 4 Centres (Oxford, Paris, Ottawa). The EQUATOR (Enhancing the Quality and Transparency of Health Research) Network is an international initiative that seeks to improve the reliability and value of published health research literature by promoting transparent and accurate reporting and wider use of robust reporting guidelines.

National Round Table on Antibiotic Resistance in Primary Care.

The round table reviewed the state of the prescribing/resistance problems in Australia, focused on primary care. The aim was to assemble the key stakeholders in policy, guidelines, and implementation nationally to be involved in the meeting.

Lancet Series on Right Care (overuse of medical services around the world).

This Series of four papers and accompanying comments examines the extent of overuse and underuse worldwide, highlights the drivers of inappropriate care, and provides a framework to begin to address overuse and underuse together to achieve the right care for health and wellbeing.

National Summit on Overdiagnosis.

CREBP co-lead summit to address growing evidence and concern about the problem of too much medicine. A national action plan was developed to address these issues.

Assistant Professor Ray Moynihan. NHMRC Early Career Fellowship: Preventing Overdiagnosis.

NHMRC Grant for Partnership Centre for Health System Sustainability. 

$5.25 million in total, $730,000 for Bond (over 5years). Sustainability of health systems is a key concern in Australia and elsewhere in the developed world.  Our researchers conduct sustainability analyses of health systems and explore models for conceptualising and creating sustainable organisations to deliver healthcare in the 21st century. We contribute to national and international models for health system sustainability. 

NHMRC Grant for the Cochrane Acute Respiratory Infections Editorial Group (Part 2). $368K for another 3 years.

National Research Alliance forms to deal with overdiagnosis.

Reversing the harms of overdiagnosis — “too much medicine” — is becoming a health care priority in Australia, prompting the formation of a new alliance of clinical, consumer, research and public organisations to tackle the problem. CREBP leads launch in MJA paper.

NHMRC CRE Grant: Minimising Antibiotic Resistance in the Community (CRE-MARC).

$2.5m over 5 years.

It builds on CREMARA (The Centre for Research Excellence in Minimising Antibiotic Resistance for Acute Respiratory Infections) which was funded by the NHMRC in 2012. This second CRE that is building on the achievements of CREMARA in acute respiratory infections and extends this research into a second phase of implementation.

Professor Tammy Hoffmann. NHMRC Senior Research Fellowship: Using shared decision making to improve the appropriateness of healthcare for individuals and the system.

Professor Claudia Dobler. NHMRC Research Fellowship: patient-centred care in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.