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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Interview with Kylie Ward, CEO Australian College of Nursing
Kylie Ward, CEO Australian College of Nursing spoke with Anne Dao from Australian Health Journal, at last week’s Australian Healthcare Week Expo on the vital role of the nursing professional.
Australian College of Nursing oversees 390,000 nurses in Australia and is the national leader in the nursing profession.
Changes in nursing policy are needed in areas of aged care, chronic disease and workforce sustainability. There are forecasts of shortages in nursing by the year 2025 of 80,000 and by 2030 the number growing by 125,000.
Kylie also mentioned the new Nursing Trailbrazers Award that has been recognised by Federal Health Minister, Greg Hunt. The 4 finalists have been recognised for influencing models of care, and implementing game changing initiatives across the country. They will be presented at the Nursing Now Australia event held by the ACN on 9th April.
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Surgical Site Infection (SSI) Synopsis, including modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors
Talking to the Australian Health Journal, Professor Russo states there is a particular concern in joint operations, such as hip or knee replacements, as infections in these areas can have severe consequences, including the removal of the infected joint, prolonged treatment, and significant costs for both hospitals and patients. Despite the substantial impact of surgical site infections, Australia lacks a national surveillance program for these infections, making it challenging to obtain accurate data. However, an estimate suggests that around 45,000 surgical site infections occur annually in Australia, resulting in approximately 900 deaths.
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Australasian College of Paramedicine makes case for multi-disciplinary care
Despite being seen primarily as emergency responders, paramedics have long been providing care in the primary care space. As such, their increased involvement in primary and urgent care is a natural progression that can lead to improved health outcomes for communities. Urgent care clinics, which treat non-life-threatening injuries and illnesses, have been a recent introduction. However, when these clinics were initially proposed, paramedics were left out of the opportunity, despite being experts in urgent, acute, unplanned, and unscheduled care. They work in these types of situations every day in the ambulance service and should be utilised in these clinics to improve patient outcomes. Working as part of multidisciplinary teams with doctors and nurses can further enhance the outcomes for local communities.
