Annette’s research involves an exploration of person-centred care in a program that aims to reduce hospital demand through comprehensive assessment, care coordination, and timely responsive specialist care in the community for people with complex needs who present frequently to hospital or the emergency department, or are at imminent risk of presenting to hospital. This program is a Victorian-government funded initiative called Hospital Admission Risk Program (HARP) in south-eastern Melbourne.

With the overall aim of exploring person-centred care in the HARP, Annette’s specific research questions are:

1. What are the experiences of HARP clients with multiple chronic conditions in planning and enacting their care?
2. What are the experiences of these clients in using information provided by HARP providers to make decisions about their care?
3. How does the HARP identify and respond to their clients’ needs?
4. What characteristics of person-centred care matter most to these HARP clients with multiple chronic conditions?
5. What are the barriers and enablers of person-centred care in the HARP?

These questions will be answered by collecting qualitative data via semi-structured interviews with HARP staff and clients, observation of outpatient clinics accessed by the clients, and analysis of the electronic medical records of interviewed clients.

The results of this project will contribute to the emerging evidence surrounding person-centred care for people with multiple chronic conditions.

Annette is a registered occupational therapist the current recipient of The Leon Piterman AM PhD Scholarship and commenced her candidature in January 2016.

Annette also works as a Lecturer within the Department of Occupational Therapy, coordinating two fourth-year undergraduate units.

Prior to joining Monash University, Annette was an occupational therapist working in various rehabilitation settings and a service delivery manager with CRS Australia for ten years.