Volunteer for a research study
Volunteer for research
RECOVER Injury Research Centre is conducting a number of research studies to improve the health outcomes of people injured in road traffic crashes.
The Co-design of Virtual Reality for the Management of Adult Neurogenic Communication Disorders: Client Perspective
Aim:
- The main aim of this study is to trial a prototype Virtual Reality (VR) application with adults who have neurogenic communication difficulties.
- This study aims to explore the perspectives of adults with communication difficulties due to neurological impairment about the usability and usefulness of VR technology within the context of communication rehabilitation.
- It is hoped that benefits and barriers to potential uptake of this technology will be identified so that the technology can be further developed to meet the specific demands of the end-users.
Types of volunteers needed:
- Adults (18 years of age or older) with communication difficulties resulting from neurological impairment.
- Those with adequate mobility and balance to walk/manoeuvre a wheelchair, with minimal assistance.
- Those with sufficient English language skills to understand and answer interview questions.
What is involved?
If you decide to participate in this study, your participation will involve attending a 1 to 1.5-hour face-to-face session at RECOVER Injury Research Centre at the Surgical Treatment and Rehabilitation Service (STARS), Herston Road, Herston.
You will be asked to wear VR goggles (see photo) and trial the VR application that could potentially be used in the management of the adult with communication difficulties due to neurological impairment. You will remain seated for all activities performed wearing the VR goggles.
What's in it for me?
There will be no direct benefit to you from participating in this research. However, the information collected in this study may assist in improving our understanding of how VR could best be used in communication rehabilitation in the future. The outcome of this study will inform the future development of VR for improving the management of the adult with communication difficulties due to neurological impairment.
How can I volunteer or find out more?
Read the study information sheet (PDF, 229.8 KB).
People interested in participating or learning more about the study can contact Ms Danielle Aldridge, Senior Research Officer, RECOVER Injury Research Centre on email d.aldridge@uq.edu.au
Medicine use following a neck or back injury
Medicine use following a neck or back injury
Have you recently experienced neck or back pain following a road traffic crash or other injury?
We need your input for a research study about people’s experiences of using medicines after injury. Participate by telephone from home!
Aim:
To explore people’s experiences of medicine use for a neck or lower back injury incurred following an injury.
Type of volunteers needed:
- Over 18 years old
- Experienced neck or back pain as a result of an injury within the past 12 months
- Visited a GP OR attended an Emergency Department, but not admitted
- Used a prescription or over-the-counter medicine for this neck or back injury, and
- Fluent in English
Individuals are not eligible to participate if another, more serious, injury such as a broken bone was experienced; or if you have had neck or back pain for longer than twelve months.
What is involved?
A phone interview for up to 40 minutes, at a time convenient to you. Everything you say will be completely confidential and anonymous. Read the participant information sheet (PDF, 98.1 KB)
What’s in it for me?
Participants who complete the interview will receive a $20 gift voucher to thank them for their contribution.
We cannot guarantee or promise that you will receive any additional benefits from this research; however your time, experience, and feedback will likely benefit others who experience neck or back pain from an injury. Gaining a more in-depth understanding of people’s experiences will help guide development of the better treatment options to improve recovery.
How can I volunteer or find out more?
Read the study brochure (PDF, 135.9 KB).
People interested in participating or learning more about the study can contact Ms Sarah Robins, Research Assistant, on email whiplashresearch@uq.edu.au or call 07 3346 4812 or Dr Jane Nikles on email uqjnikle@uq.edu.au or 0408 599 033
Whiplash research studies
Focus: The focus of the Improving health outcomes after musculoskeletal injury research team at RECOVER is to develop effective diagnosis, assessment and treatment for people with musculoskeletal injury following a motor vehicle crash. Our research includes many different aspects of recovery.
Type of volunteers needed:
We are often looking for volunteers for different studies.
- >18 years old
- Experiencing musculoskeletal pain, for example neck or back pain.
What is involved?
Each study has slightly different requirements with some requiring the completion of online questionnaires, others involve telephone or face-to-face interviews, whilst some include participation in activities or treatment.
What’s in it for me?
While you may not personally benefit from participating in this research, your time, experience, and feedback will likely benefit others who experience neck or back pain from a motor vehicle crash. Gaining a more in-depth understanding of people’s experiences will help guide development of the best treatment options to improve recovery.
How can I volunteer or find out more?
If you would like to register your interest to be contacted about a study that may suit your particular whiplash history, please contact Ms Sarah Robins, Research Assistant, on email whiplashresearch@uq.edu.au or call 07 3346 4812
PACE Musculoskeletal Study
Aim:
To help people recover from musculoskeletal conditions including neck pain, whiplash, low back pain, and knee osteoarthritis by assessing an innovative approach that guides health professionals in managing injured people based on their prognosis.
Types of volunteers required:
- Have sought health care within the last 4 weeks
- Neck pain or whiplash (>18 years old)
- Non-specific low back pain (>18 years old)
- Knee osteoarthritis (>45 years old) and have not undergone or scheduled for joint replacement surgery
- No confirmed fractures or dislocations at the time of the injury
What is involved?
The study runs for twelve months and involves completing online baseline questionnaires and then again at 3, 6 and 12 months after initial assessment.
What is in it for me?
As it is a randomised trial, participants will be allocated to one of 2 treatment groups. One group will be treated by their usual doctor or other health professional and the other group will be given treatment based on their response to the questionnaires, with care provided by their primary provider and/or a specialist provider. Participants will receive two $25 vouchers, one after completing the 3 month and the other after completing the 12 month questionnaires.
How can I volunteer or find out more?
If you are interested in participating please complete the screening questionnaire or contact Sarah Robins on 3346 4812 or 0436 391 158, or email s.robins1@uq.edu.au
Smartphone-based 6-Minute Walk Test in chronic pain: a validation study
Aims:
- The purpose of this study is to compare the results of a 6-minute walk test using the Timed Walk smartphone app to a conventional 6-minute walk test supervised by a physiotherapist, in order to assess the agreement between the two methods.
- If the app proves to be a valid alternative to conventional 6-minute walk tests, findings from this research could enable widespread use of this app for patients who cannot travel to an appointment at a clinic or hospital.
- Walk tests could in future be performed by going for a walk along local streets when it is convenient, which may allow tests to be conducted more frequently. We believe this will allow both clinicians and people with pain to gain a better picture of an individual’s ability to exercise, perform their activities of daily living, and improve their care. This, in turn, will result in both short and long-term health benefits for people with persistent pain.
Types of volunteers needed:
- Adults (18 years of age or older)
- Have persistent pain (longer than 9 months)
- Are either seeking treatment at the Tess Cramond Pain and Research Centre (TCPRC) or have otherwise nominated their interest in participating in this research.
- Own or have access to a smartphone (Android or iPhone)
- Are able to walk outdoors for at least 100m without the use of walking aids.
What is involved?
- If you decide to participate in this study, your participation will involve attending a one hour face-to-face session at Downey Park, Windsor. See location map here.
- Participation involves downloading a free mobile application onto your smartphone and performing, on a single day, both a conventional 6-minute walk test and another 6-minute walk test using the Timed Walk app. A researcher on the project will assist you with downloading, installing and using the smartphone app.
- On the day of the testing, you will be asked to perform a conventional 6-minute walk test by walking between two markers placed 30 metres apart. You will then be allowed to rest for at least 15 minutes where you can sit down in the shade, have a drink of water and access your mobile phone. Following this short rest period, you will perform a second 6-minute walk test by walking around the park while carrying your smartphone with Timed Walk app measuring the walking distance.
- Carer's are welcome to attend the session.
What’s in it for me?
- A $20 electronic gift voucher will be given to you, on the day of the walk tests, to thank you for your time.
- There will be no direct benefit to you from participating in this research. However, your participation will help to determine the accuracy of the Timed Walk smartphone app in comparison to conventional 6-minute walk tests.
- Each participant will be sent a plain language summary of the results at the conclusion of the study.
How can I volunteer or find out more?
People interested in participating or learning more about the study including location details can:
- Contact Dr Joshua Simmich, Project Investigator, RECOVER Injury Research Centre on email j.simmich@uq.edu.au; or
- Read the study information sheet and register on the form provided here.
The effect of pain education and virtual reality gameplay in individuals with persistent low back pain
Study title:
The effect of simulating functional tasks during an immersive virtual reality environment on pain and fear of movement in people with chronic non-specific low back pain
Aims:
- The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of pain education and virtual reality gameplay on pain levels and fear of movement in individuals with persistent low back pain.
- The study is also exploring the impacts of these interventions on movement and physical activity levels.
- While pain education is a well-established treatment intervention, virtual reality gameplay is an emerging treatment and requires more investigation.
- If virtual reality gameplay combined with pain education is shown to be an effective treatment for pain and fear of movement in individuals with persistent low back pain, this could provide opportunities for alternative treatment approaches that incorporate virtual reality gameplay. This could take place in individual’s homes without the need for regular face to face contact with a physiotherapist.
Types of volunteers needed:
- Adults (18-65 years of age)
- Have persistent low back pain (six months or more)
- Able to attend the Surgical, Treatment and Rehabilitation Services (STARS) Hospital for three weekly sessions
What is involved?
- If you decide to participate in the study, participation will include attending three weekly sessions at STARS. The first two sessions take approximately 60-90 minutes, and the final session takes approximately 30 minutes.
- Parking vouchers are available to cover parking costs at STARS, or alternatively you can elect to be reimbursed for public transport costs.
- Participation involves completing some questionnaires relating to pain intensity, your beliefs around pain and movement, and a measure of the level of your disability resulting from your back pain.
- At each testing session, markers will be placed on your trunk to enable motion capture as you perform some standard movements (e.g. bending forwards, backwards, sideways, lifting and lowering a 4kg box).
- The first session will also include a 1:1 pain education intervention, while the second session will include virtual reality gameplay where you will play three separate games (basketball hoops, ice curling, and ten-pin bowling).
What’s in it for me?
- There will be no direct benefit to you from participating in this research. However, your participation will help to determine if virtual reality combined with pain education has a positive impact on pain, fear of movement, physical activity levels, and movement of the lower back, in individuals with persistent low back pain.
- A $40 gift card will be provided to participants who complete all three sessions, to thank you for your time.
How can I volunteer or find out more?
People interested in participating or learning more about the study including location details can:
- Contact Dr Peter Window, Project Investigator, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital on email peter.window@health.qld.gov.au; or
- Read the Study information sheet provided here (PDF, 191.6 KB)
A study on the use of chatbots for people with whiplash
What is this research about?
We are developing an interactive chatbot (software program with emulated human conversations) to answer users’ questions and provide
educational materials to people with a whiplash injury. In this study, we aim at investigating the user experience and opinions when using the chatbot to get whiplash-related health information.
What will you do?
We will invite you to attend a one-off focus group study in our centre, Herston, Brisbane, QLD. In the study, you will interact with the chatbot (30 minutes) and provide your experience and opinions in a group discussion (semi-structured, 45 minutes). Finally, you will complete a survey about the chatbot’s functionality, user experience and information safety (15 minutes). If you cannot attend the study in person because of Covid restrictions, we will offer an online option using Zoom (a videoconferencing application).
Who can participate?
Please participate in our study, if you are:
- An adult, 18 years old or over, with stable whiplash symptoms (over 6 months since injury), and
- Comfortable to participate in a group discussion and use smartphones and tablets, and
- Able to attend a meeting via Zoom (for the online option if needed).
Why and how do I participate?
There are no direct benefits to yourself. Your valuable experience and ideas are essential for us to develop our technology applications for improving whiplash care in the community. We will provide you with a $30 gift card to thank you for your participation.
To discuss the details, please contact Dr Hang Ding h.ding@uq.edu.au, Research Fellow, at the Surgical Treatment and Rehabilitation Hospital (STARS), Herston, Brisbane, QLD.
A pilot study on the use of chatbots for people with whiplash
We are developing an interactive chatbot (software program with emulated human conversations) to answer users’ questions and provide educational materials to people with a whiplash injury. In this study, we aim at evaluating a chatbot’s information quality, safety, and user experience from the perspective of experienced clinicians.
What will you do?
You will install a social media app (Telegram or Facebook Messenger) on a personal smartphone, tablet or computer at home (5 minutes) to access our chatbot. You will then test the chatbot (over 30 minutes) using three tasks that we will provide and some questions/topics (at least three) you are often asked by your patients with whiplash. We will give you two weeks to finish the test. Finally, you will complete an online survey for evaluating the functionality, user experience and information quality (15 minutes).
Who can participate?
Please participate in our research study, if you are:
- A current clinician such as a physiotherapist,
- With experience in managing at least 5 whiplash patients per year, and
- Being comfortable using social media apps such as Facebook Messenger and Telegram.
Why and how do I participate?
There are no direct benefits to yourself. Your valuable experience and ideas are essential for us to develop technology applications for improving whiplash care in the community. We will provide you with a $30 gift card to thank you for your participation.
To discuss the details, please contact Dr Hang Ding (h.ding @uq.edu.au), Research Fellow, at the Surgical Treatment and Rehabilitation Hospital (STARS), Herston, Brisbane, QLD.
Small nerve fibre pathology in chronic whiplash – a corneal confocal microscopy study
Do you have long term neck pain after a whiplash injury or neck strain?
Interested in having the nerves in your eye examined?
What is this research about?
This study seeks to learn about sensory nerves in people with long term whiplash neck pain. After a whiplash injury, some people recover and others develop long term pain. The reasons for ongoing pain after whiplash are not fully understood, however recent research suggests that sensory nerves (that transmit information about pain) may be implicated.
What will you do?
Participation involves undergoing a microscope assessment of the eye by an optometrist, completing some questionnaires, and sensory testing at the neck and leg, which will take no longer than 90 minutes.
This study is done at the Queensland University of Technology School of Optometry and Vision Science at Kelvin Grove. Participants are offered a $50 gift voucher to reimburse for time and travel expenses.
Who can participate?
We are seeking male and female participants aged 18-70 years, with neck pain after a whiplash injury lasting more than 3 months.
How do I participate?
To find out more information, please contact Dr Scott Farrell and the research team on (07) 3346 4791 or scott.farrell@uq.edu.au
Virtual reality for driving phobia
Study title:
Aim:
There is an urgent need to develop and evaluate new approaches that reduce driving anxiety and avoidance. In this study, we will invite patients to share their journey and experiences of driving anxiety and avoidance. It provides an opportunity for patients and clinicians to work together to develop the best possible solutions to improve care. It is expected that the results of this research will be used to develop a VR prototype which can be evaluated in future studies to assist individuals to improve their health and reduce driving anxiety.
Types of volunteers needed:
To be eligible to participate in this study, you must be 18 years or older and must have chronic pain (experienced for more than 3 months) which has been diagnosed by a medical professional and a result of a motor vehicle crash. You must also have driving anxiety or avoidance or have experienced this in the past.
What is involved?
If eligible, you will complete a short 10-minute online survey which includes questions about demographics, your condition, and associated clinical characteristics (e.g., mood). You will then be invited to complete one or more (up to four) focus groups or individual sessions to explore your experience of pain, driving anxiety and provide input into the intervention components.
What’s in it for me?
You may or may not personally benefit from participating in this study. However, we hope that you will find your participation and contribution to the study valuable. The findings of the study will help us develop more effective approaches to reducing driving anxiety. A summary of the findings of this study will be prepared once the information collected has been completed. You can request to receive a copy of the findings of the study by contacting Dr Elphinston via email (rachelel@uq.edu.au).
You will receive a $50 gift card for participating in each session. A $50 gift card will be sent to you by mail/email after completion of each session.
How can I volunteer or find out more?
Contact Dr Elphinston via email rachelel@uq.edu.au