CLINICAL PAIN NEUROSCIENTIST TALKS ABOUT HOW THE BRAIN PROCESSES PAIN INFORMATION Trial: affects on pain and activity levels, by educating knee osteoarthritis participants in individualised exercise programs
With
Tasha Stanton,
Associate Professor of Clinical Pain Neuroscience
Group, Leader Persistent Pain Research Group (Lifelong Health)
SAHMRI (South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute) &
co-Director of IMPACT in Health, University of South Australia
SEGMENT
Filmed in Adelaide | March 2026
The Persistent Pain Research Group’s vision is to work hand-in-hand with consumers to undertake impactful research that helps better understand and treat persistent pain.
Their studies span discovery to implementation science to determine key contributors to the development and maintenance of persistent pain and to use this information to create novel brain-based interventions.
They hold expertise in developing new technologies, such as virtual and mediated reality, and translating these technologies to the clinical environment, using innovative co-design methods.
The Persistent Pain Research Group studies a variety of painful conditions, with specific focus on:
- Osteoarthritis
- Spinal pain (neck and back)
- Complex regional pain syndrome
- Phantom limb pain after amputation
Persistent pain affects one in five Australians and costs the nation an estimated $73 billion per year in health system costs, lost productivity and other financial costs.
Persistent pain also has debilitating personal costs – negatively impacting quality of life and the ability to engage in meaningful work and life activities.
Despite the enormity of this problem, very few effective treatments exist with most showing only small to moderate improvements. New treatments are desperately needed. The group believes the best way to create impactful change is to work with people with lived experience of persistent pain to devise solutions with them, not for them.
Source: SAHMRI webpage Persistent Pain Research Group
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“Nurses can do more, should do more and now they will do more”, The Hon Minister Greg Hunt MP, Minister for Health.
Advanced Practice Nurses comprise 9% of the total nursing workforce, with 26,000 clinicians Australia wide. However although highly skilled, they are under-utilised and constrained to the full scope of practice. The Australian College of Nursing believes this needs to change. Nurse led models of care in which Advanced Practice Nurses play a significant role in service provision, must feature in the future. ACN President Professor Christine Duffield FACN states, “It’s now widely acknowledged internationally that nurses can provide a clinical and very valuable service that’s better suited to the healthcare needs of some consumer groups.”
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The Case for Embedded Pharmacy in Residential Aged Care
Embedded pharmacy in residential aged care has been successful in South Australia at the Tanunda Lutheran Home in the Barossa Valley. Julian Soriano talks about his pharmacy role in medication management and medication safety to deliver the best clinical care for residents.
In this segment, Julian talks about the traditional pharmacy model serving residential aged care and the limitations of the imprest process for dispensing medication. Soon into the project he saw the collaboration required with GPs and onsite nurses in dispensing medication for residents in end-of-life or palliative care. Julian sees the imprest process unable to support end-of-life residents, even being able to check the availability of medication.
But what most may not be aware of, is his rapid growth since starting the business in 2013 having just been in health care a few years earlier. Being part of a 2nd generation health care family, Shawn learnt from his father on site and at trade show visits overseas. Prior to HPA, he spent 2 years working in fit-outs of operating theatres, neo-natal and general population ICU, throughout being more fascinated with what he saw. -
Integrating oral health care across non-dental professionals
Poor oral health can contribute to or exacerbate several systemic health conditions due to the close connection between oral bacteria, inflammation, and systemic processes. These conditions include cardiovascular health, diabetes, respiratory health, cognitive health, pregnancy and birth outcomes.
