Advocating for Equity, Collaboration and Culturally secure Osteoarthritis care for Aboriginal Australians
Osteoarthritis is a leading cause of inactivity and commonly co-exists with other chronic conditions that disproportionately affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Aboriginal Australians are more likely to experience osteoarthritis than non-Aboriginal Australians but seek care at less than half the expected rate. To address this mismatch, ECCO was formed to engage Aboriginal voices to understand and meet the needs of Aboriginal Australians with osteoarthritis.
The Consortium Against the overuse of Opioids in Surgery
CAOS was established in August 2019, with the sole aim of reducing the harms associated with opioid use among surgical patients. By drawing on the expertise, access to data resources and local networks of each of its core members, CAOS aims to inform opioid prescribing policy and improve clinical practice.
The Consumer and Community Involvement Program
The Consumer and Community Involvement Program facilitates partnership between consumers, community members and researchers. It provides researchers with an invaluable perspective to the appropriateness and applicability of their research program. Consumers learn more about health research and are empowered to make informed choices about their health care.
Qualitative research explores the reasons, opinions and motivations for the way people behave and is a necessary core component of implementation trials. It is central to understanding why promising interventions do not always work in the real world, and how researchers can design, test and implement interventions that do. A qualitative skills gap exists in in the field of orthopaedics on a national and international scale, thus OPUS has developed a short 2-day course in qualitative research skills for clinicians to address this gap.
Students’ Orthopaedic and Musculoskeletal Asscoation
SOMA is a University of Melbourne Graduate Student Association (GSA), and is affiliated with OPUS and the University of Melbourne’s Department of Surgery. SOMA brings together students from different locations and institutions who are interested in musculoskeletal and orthopaedic health. They foster an inclusive and active culture of engagement with research, peer-to-peer support, teaching, and advocacy.
OPUS regularly host webinars that cover a range of topics and skills geared towards students, researchers and the general public. Browse through our videos to learn something new or check our schedule to see what’s coming up!