New nurse-led protocols for stroke patients, based on ACU research, led by the Nursing Research Institute, have resulted in changes to policy, guidelines and clinical practice in Europe and Australia. The protocols were developed through the Quality in Acute Stroke Care (QASC) Trial (published in the Lancet, 2011) to manage fever, hyperglycaemia and swallowing (FeSS) post-stroke.
Professor Sandy Middleton FACN, FAAN is a Professor of Nursing and Director of the Nursing Research Institute at St Vincent’s Health Network Sydney, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne and Australian Catholic University. She focusses on stroke and the way research can improve care, particularly analysing the way nurses can initiate care to improve patient recovery.
Professor Middleton was the lead investigator on the landmark NHMRC-funded QASC cluster trial that demonstrated decreased death and dependency following implementation of nurse-initiated protocols to manage fever, hyperglycaemia and swallowing post-stroke, winning multiple national and international awards including ACU’s Vice-Chancellor’s Staff Excellence Award, Excellence in Research and Research Partnerships in 2019. These protocols have been translated into 64 hospitals in 17 European countries and in adopted in 36 NSW hospitals. She has published in high impact journals including The Lancet and The New England Journal of Medicine.
Australian Health Journal spoke with Professor Sandy Middleton on these significant achievements in nurse-led acute stroke care.
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LIVED EXPERIENCE: Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)
Lachlan Thorpe has shared his experience of living with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), highlighting the profound impact the condition had on his life and the difference medical technology has made to his recovery.
In an interview with the Australian Health Journal, Thorpe explained that his CRPS developed following an ankle injury sustained while playing rugby for Sydney University Rugby Club in late 2024. After undergoing surgery and rehabilitation for the injury, he began experiencing severe pain, swelling and sensitivity despite there being no further orthopaedic damage.
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Specialist emergency care clinics in rollout
Unlike Emergency Departments that operate within public hospitals and some private hospitals, a Walk-in Specialist Emergency Clinic is located in the community and designed to provide comprehensive, coordinated acute care – from initial consultation and diagnostic services, to treatment and specialist referral if required – without the patient having to visit a hospital.
Australian Health Journal spoke to the visionary, founder and CEO behind this WiSE Specialist Emergency clinic, Dr Pankaj Arora.
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Significant funding announced for NSW biomedical researchers
The Snow Medical Research Foundation (Snow Medical) has announced a new $24 million investment in three outstanding Australian biomedical researchers through its prestigious Snow Fellowships.
These Fellows will tackle major global health challenges spanning autoimmune disease, neurological disorders, and genetic disease. Their work addresses conditions that disproportionately affect vulnerable and underserved populations, including First Nations communities, while advancing precision medicine and translational care. Collectively, their research aims to deliver safer vaccines, better diagnostics, and more equitable genomic and neurological healthcare.
