Hunter Medical Research Institute

About the organisation

HMRI shares nib foundation’s vision for all people to live longer in better health, with ambitions to create the healthiest million people on the planet. 

Their research portfolios address the leading chronic diseases and health challenges affecting many Australians. HMRI is committed to translating health and medical research into actionable policies and practices—locally, nationally, and globally. 

Three research projects will aim to address critical issues, such as chronic disease management, digital health solutions and patient education.

The projects

EXTOKA: A patient education program setting expectations on knee surgery outcomes 

The EXTOKA project aims to address the issue of unmet expectations from Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) surgery, which affects patient satisfaction. In Australia, around 60,000 TKA surgeries are performed each year, with numbers expected to rise. Despite improvements in surgical techniques, 10-20% of patients remain dissatisfied with their outcomes. 

This project will develop an educational program to help patients set realistic expectations about their recovery after TKA, specifically in the private healthcare setting. Success will be measured by comparing patients’ expectations before and after the program, and by comparing those who take part in the program with those who receive standard care. The project will also evaluate if the program leads to greater satisfaction with surgical outcomes. 

The findings will help improve patient understanding of TKA, allowing them to make more informed decisions about their surgery and recovery. 

Genetically guided health information for chronic disease 

Half of all Australians live with chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, respiratory conditions, mental health issues, and cancer. These diseases often result from a combination of genetic factors and environmental and lifestyle risks. While each factor may have a small effect on its own, together they create a significant risk for disease. 

While managing lifestyle factors like diet and exercise is well understood, genetic factors that could help with early detection, risk reduction, and personalised treatment have received less attention. 

This research will test the feasibility and public perception of using genetics to improve health management of chronic disease risk. It will test a HMRI supported platform that assesses an individual’s genetic risk compared to the general population, aiming to support early interventions and personalised treatments to prevent or slow disease progression. The project will also lay the groundwork for creating a registry of participants for clinical trials focused on genetically guided precision medicine. 

Developing a shared care approach to engage people with mental health conditions in digital lifestyle coaching 

Low engagement is a major barrier to using coaching effectively to prevent chronic diseases and improve health for people with mental health conditions. There is a lack of research on what factors influence engagement with coaching and how to address these challenges. 

This project will create a ‘shared care’ approach to help people with mental health conditions better engage with digital healthy lifestyle coaching. It will explore factors that affect engagement, such as uptake, participation, and completion, through an integrative review of existing research. A proof-of-concept study will examine the barriers and facilitators to engagement, including satisfaction with a coaching partnership between mental health clinicians and individuals using the Get Healthy Service. 

The project will also bring together key stakeholders to co-develop a practical and acceptable shared care model to improve engagement in digital lifestyle coaching for people with mental health conditions.