24 October 2024
Paediatric dietitian, Claire Reilly used Health Translational Queensland’s (HTQ) Consumer and Community Involvement microgrant to gain deeper insight into patient and family experiences for research to improve care for children with feeding tubes.
With nearly 20 years of clinical experience, Claire has prescribed thousands of temporary feeding tubes for children but found many families find using the devices at home challenging.
“I started my research project to understand how families manage feeding tubes and find practical ways to improve care for children who need them for their nutrition and growth,” Claire said.
“I was shocked to discover the struggles that families experience and hope my research will bridge the gap between families, clinicians and health services.”
As a PhD candidate, applying for a HTQ microgrant to involve health consumers in her research gave her a chance to try writing a grant and test her success.
“With HTQ’s support, I recruited 5 health consumers through Health Consumers Queensland and my contacts,” Claire said.
“They provided valuable input, leading me to revise questions and add a new study component to my research. These changes resulted in highly engaged participants who felt seen and heard, reflected by over 250 diary entries and 100% return of their forms!
“Their feedback gave me a deeper insight into patient and family experiences, helped me use appropriate language in my communication and set realistic participation expectations for the study.”
To raise awareness about children with temporary feeding tubes and their families, Claire entered the 2024 Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition at The University of Queensland and surprised herself by winning first prize!
She also presented her research at the Dietitians Australia conference, including her first research poster, which won Best Poster.
Claire aims to complete her PhD next year, publish her findings, and apply for a larger research grant. She’s now committed to including health consumers in every step.
To learn more about Claire Reilly’s research, see her ORCID profile.
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