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RPA Green Light Institute for Emergency Care
The RPA Green Light Institute for Emergency Care was established at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in 2020 as part of the Sydney Local Health District to facilitate and coordinate research for emergency department patients. These include various health care needs, from acute life-threatening conditions to ambulatory care.
Improvements in how this care is delivered require research, innovation and advocacy. For this, the RPA Green Light Institute brings together experienced and dedicated emergency clinicians from Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and the Sydney Local Health District, affiliating with other research institutes and teaching hospitals within New South Wales and the University of Sydney. We are backed by the world-class research infrastructure at RPA Hospital, underpinned by the hospital’s ethos of research-led practice. This allows us to undertake collaborative research projects at an unparalleled scale in Australasia.
The Institute was established through a charitable donation from the Hearts and Minds Investment Group and is based at RPA Hospital.
Our Vision
To lead improvement in emergency care and patient outcomes through collaborative research and innovation.
Our Mission
To facilitate research that directly impacts and improves care for the many millions of patients treated in our emergency departments each year.
Our Objectives
The RPA Green Light Institute provides a hub for collaborative and translational research in emergency medicine, bringing together groups of experienced and dedicated emergency clinicians and nurses to provide a focal point for emergency research and collaboration with other research institutes.
The RPA Green Light Institute focuses on high-impact acute medical conditions with significant public health ramifications. These include trauma care, stroke, acute cardiac conditions, mental health and sepsis management. Together, they represent the most important causes of preventable death and disability around the world.
Emergency Research Grant Scheme
Our Institute is committed to supporting high quality Emergency Department research that improves emergency care across Australia. We are excited to announce a grants scheme to support emergency clinicians undertaking research in key priority areas, including emergency care in rural and regional areas, Aboriginal, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, domestic violence and mental health patient populations.
Applications are being sought for project funding totalling $50,000 each, with two grants being awarded for projects commencing in 2024.
Entries close Monday 31 July 2023.
Apply now!
Our Research
Since its establishment in 2020, the Institute has spearheaded many high-impact research initiatives that directly impact patient outcomes. The Institute takes a highly collaborative approach, leading and facilitating research with other pioneering organisations and clinicians.
We helped shape and enhance the impact of RPA Virtual Hospital, the virtual hospital and new model of care which integrates hospital and community care with the latest digital solutions. This included three studies:
- analysis of the experience and outcomes of patients quarantining in special health accommodation who required hospitalisation or emergency department care
- research into the lived experience of people with a COVID-19 diagnosis who quarantine
- a trial to determine the efficacy of oral Dexamethasone for Emergency and Life-Threatening Admissions due to COVID-19 in a virtual hospital environment.
In collaboration with RPA Hospital’s Stroke Observatory, we are evaluating the performance of the Emergency Stroke Code Activation Pathway in Emergency (ESCAPE) and improving how acute strokes are picked up and managed initially in the emergency department.
In collaboration with Liverpool Hospital and NSW Institute of Trauma and Injury Management, Agency for Clinical Innovation we are conducting the Serratus Anterior Block in Rib Fracture in Emergency (SABRE) looking to improve the care of patients who fall and have rib fractures.
To improve patient outcomes, we collaborated with the District, NSW Ambulance and the NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre and the University of Sydney to investigate the impact of expedited transfer versus non-expedited transfer to hospital and the subsequent treatment conducted at the hospital in patients with an Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA).
To improve the speed and safety of intubation in patients with airway-related breathing difficulties, we have collaborated with multiple institutions in a pilot study on the impact of suctioning on oxygenation during Rapid Sequence Intubation in the emergency department.
The Institute is collaborating with the University of Sydney and Institute for Musculoskeletal Health to improve musculoskeletal health by investigating better care pathways for people with low back pain, neck pain, whiplash and knee osteoarthritis.
The Institute is undertaking a multisite evaluation of mental health liaison nurse model of care in emergency departments in collaboration with mental health clinicians. The aim is to improve access to specialist care for those with acute mental health problems and for rural clinicians to better understand how to improve emergency care in rural and regional Australia. The Institute is also conducting a multisite analysis of adolescent mental health presentations to emergency departments.
To develop best practices for the future, we are undertaking a systematic review of models of care for emergency departments.
The Institute aims to improve emergency department patient flow and prevent overcrowding using an Artificial Intelligence assisted tool called START2 (Sydney Triage to Admission Risk Tool) that was developed and trialled locally. This has now being trialled at other sites across Sydney. In addition, the Institute has collaborated with Macquarie University and the Digital Health Cooperative Research Centre to test Artificial Intelligence assisted chest X Ray interpretation.
Project planning is underway to help identify and better manage patients presenting to emergency who are identified as at risk of human trafficking and slavery.
Our Research Team
Our team includes national leaders in emergency care, with exceptional experience in both clinical and research practice.
The Institute is comprised of emergency physicians, clinical nurse consultants, rotating emergency medicine registrars, students and a growing group of Sydney Local Health District emergency clinicians. Our advisory board, drawing on their extensive experience in emergency medicine, provides strategic guidance in the establishment and the long term direction of the Institute.
| Professor Michael Dinh | Director |
|---|---|
| Dr Radhika Seimon | Senior Research Manager |
| Saartje Berendsen Russell | Research Clinical Nurse Consultant |
| Naomi Derrick | Research Clinical Nurse Consultant |
| Dr Kendall Bein | Emergency Physician and Research Associate |
| Dr Matthew Oliver | Emergency Physician and Research Associate |
| Dr Jon Hayman | Emergency Medicine Training |
| Dr Bashir Chakar | Emergency Physician |
| Dr Emily Symes | Emergency Physician |
| Dr Nidhi Abraham | Emergency Medicine Advanced Trainee |
| Dr Jamie Burrows | Emergency Medicine Advanced Trainee |
| Dr Viola Korczak | Emergency Medicine Advanced Trainee |
| Dr Amber Shuja | Emergency Medicine Advanced Trainee |
Selected Grants
| Amount awarded | Grant and project details |
|---|---|
| $1,498,877 | NHMRC Partnership Projects Grant, 2021-2026 Improving the safety and quality of emergency nursing care Investigators: Curtis K, Fry M, Considine J, Shaban R, Alkhouri H, McPhail S, Dinh M, Aggar C, Hughes J, Murphy M |
| $2,847,592 | Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF), 2022-2026 Giving patients an EPIC-START: An evidence based, data driven model of care to improve patient care and efficiency in emergency departments. Investigators: Curtis K, Dinh M, Shetty A, Fry M, Shaw T, Lung T, Murphy M, Li L, Alkhouri H, Considine J, Kourouche S, Hughes J, Shaban R, Varndell W, Aggar C. |
Our Publications
2022
| Chiswell K, Bein K, Simpkins D, Latt M, Dinh M. Emergency department presentations and 30-day mortality in patients from residential aged care facilities. Aust Health Rev (2022) 46(4): 414-420. |
| Sardaneh AA, Narayan S, Penm J, Oliver M, Gattas D, McLachlan A, Patanwala AE. Efficacy and safety of metaraminol in critically ill patients with shock: a systematic review. J Pharm Pract Res (2022), 52(2): 83-93. |
| Cullen P, Leong RN, Liu B, Walker N, Steinbeck K, Ivers R, Dinh M. Returning to the Emergency Department: A retrospective analysis of mental health re-presentations among young people in New South Wales, Australia. BMJ Open (2022) 12(6):e057388. |
| Davis R, Bein K, Burrows J, Chakar B, Berendsen Russell S, Hutchings O, Dearing C, Jagers D, Edwards J, Chalkley D, Shaw M, Mckenzie L, Goldmith H, Dinh M. Clinical characteristics and predictors for hospitalisation during the initial phases of the Delta variant COVID-19 outbreak in Sydney, Australia. Emerg Med Australas (2022) 35(1):34-40. |
| Korczak V, Yakubu K, Angell B, Middleton P, Dinh M, Lung T, Jan S. Understanding patient preferences for emergency care for lower triage acuity presentations during GP hours: a qualitative study in Australia. BMC Health Serv Res (2022) 22(1): 1442. |
| Korczak V, Liu H, Bein K, Lung T, Jan S, Dinh M. Emergency clinician perceptions of patients who present frequently to the emergency department: a snapshot of current practice. Aust Health Rev (2022). |
| Jones CMP, Lin CC, Jamshidi M, Shaheed CA, Maher CG, Harris IA, Patanwala AE, Dinh M, Mathieson S. Effectiveness of Opioid Analgesic Medicines Prescribed in or at Discharge From Emergency Departments for Musculoskeletal Pain. A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Ann Intern Med (2022) 175(11): 1572-1581. |
| Ferreira G, Lobo M, Richards B, Dinh M, Maher C. Hospital variation in admissions for low back pain following an emergency department presentation: a retrospective study. BMC Health Serv Res (2022) 22(1): 835. |
| Mitchell RJ, Harris IA, Balogh ZJ, Curtis K, Burns B, Seppelt I, Brown J, Sarrami P, Singh H, Levesque J, Dinh M. Determinants of long-term unplanned readmission and mortality following self-inflicted and non-self-inflicted major injury: a retrospective cohort study. Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg (2022) 48(3): 2145-2156. |
| Curtis K, Kennedy B, Lam MK, Mitchell, RJ, Black D, Burns B, Dinh M, Holland AJA. Pathways and factors that influence time to definitive trauma care for injured children in New South Wales, Australia. Injury (2022) 53(1): 61-68. |
| Curtis K, Kennedy B, Lam MK, Mitchell, RJ, Black D, Jan s, Burns B, Dinh M, Holland AJA. Predictors of 12-month functional outcomes and length of stay of severely injured children in NSW, Australia. A longitudinal multi-centre study. Injury (2022) 53(5): 1684-1689. |
| Partyka C, Miller M, Johnson T, Burns B, Fogg T, Sarrami P, Singh H, Dee K, Dinh M. Prehospital activation of a coordinated multidisciplinary hospital response in preparation for patients with severe hemorrhage: A statewide data linkage study of the New South Wales “Code Crimson” pathway. J Trauma Acute Care Surg (2022) 93(4): 521-529. |
| Hung KKC, Kifley A, Brown K, Jagnoor J, Craig A, Gabbe B, Derrett S, Collie A, Dinh M, Gopinath B, Cameron ID, on behalf of the fish investigators. Psychological distress, pain and insurance claims negatively affect long-term health-related quality of life after road traffic injuries. J Rehabil Med (2022) 54: 30. |
| Bein K, Berendsen Russell S, Ni Bhraonain S, Seimon R, Dinh M. Does volume or occupancy influence emergency access block? A multivariate time series analysis from a single emergency department in Sydney, Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Emerg Med Australas (2021) 33: 343–348. |
| Dinh M, Hutchings O, Bein K, Shaw J, Raut A, Berendsen Russell S, Jagers D, Thapa R, Fox G, Edwards J, Wand T, Britton W. Emergency Department presentations from quarantine hotels in Sydney, Australia, during the COVID-19 outbreak – an analysis of clinical patterns and outcomes. Med J Aust (2021). |
| Dinh M, Hutchings O, Bein K, Shaw J, Raut A, Berendsen Russell S, Jagers D, Thapa R, Fox G, Edwards J, Wand T, Britton W. Emergency department presentations by residents of Sydney quarantine hotels during the COVID-19 outbreak. Med J Aust (2021) 214(10): 473–474. |
| Sardaneh AA, Penm J, Oliver M, Gattas D, McLachlan A, Patanwala AE. Pharmacoepidemiology of metaraminol in critically ill patients with shock in a tertiary care hospital. Aust Crit Care (2021) 34(6): 573-579. |
| Sardaneh AA, Penm J, Oliver M, Gattas D, McLachlan A, Patanwala AE. Comparison of metaraminol versus no metaraminol on time to resolution of shock in critically ill patients. Eur J Hosp Pharm (2021). |
| Wand T, Collett G, Cutten A, Stack A, Dinh M, Bein K, Green T, Berendsen Russell S, Edwards J, White K. Evaluating an emergency department-based mental health liaison nurse service: A multi-site translational research project. Emerg Med Australas (2021) 33(1): 74–81. |
| Dinh MM, Balogh ZJ, Sisson G, Levesque JF, The New South Wales trauma quality improvement program: structure, process, outcomes and the role of trauma verification. ANZ J Surg (2021) 91(7-8): 1331-1332. |
| Hoang BH, Do NS, Vu DH, Do GP, Dao XD, Nguyen, Luu QT, Le VC, Nguyen HT, Dinh MM and Nakahara S. Outcomes for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest transported to emergency departments in Hanoi, Vietnam: A multi-centre observational study. Emerg Med Australas (2021) 33(3). |
| Dinh MM, Arce CP, Berendsen Russell S, Bein KJ. Predictors and mortality associated with prolonged emergency department length of stay in NSW tertiary hospitals 2017-18. Emerg Med Australas (2020) 32: 611–617. |
| Dinh MM, Bein KJ, Delaney J, Berendsen Russell S, Royle T. Incidence and outcomes of aortic dissection for emergency departments in New South Wales, Australia 2017-2018: A data linkage study. Emerg Med Australas (2020) 32(4): 599-603. |
| Dinh M, Berendsen Russell S. Overcrowding Kills: How COVID-19 could reshape emergency department patient flow in the new normal. Emerg Med Australas (2020) 33: 175–177. |