Professor Clare Heal was one of three finalists in the Australian Society for Medical Research Queensland Health and Medical Research (ASMR) Awards this month.
ASMR is the peak professional society representing Australian health and medical research, representing 20,000 medical researchers, involved in health and medical research through seventy-five affiliated professional societies, institutes and Medical Colleges.
The accolades of the ASMR was received for a program of research which has been conducted for the past 10 years, and includes five RCTs which have been conducted in Mackay General Practices. The most recent of these was an RCT called the AVALANCHE trial: Alcoholic versus Aqueous Chlorhexidine for skin antisepsis, whereby antiseptics are applied to clean the skin prior to surgery to prevent wound infections. One common antiseptic is Chlorhexidine, which can be dissolved in water or alcohol. Alcohol-based solutions are more likely to irritate the skin and eyes, and remove markings drawn on the skin to guide the surgeon. Prof Clare Heal’s research at James Cook University found that non-alcoholic antiseptics can be used safely and effectively for minor surgical procedures. The published protocol can be found here: BMJ Journals
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miri@health.qld.gov.au