PhD scholarship for Cory Williams: Improving patient experiences and outcomes from elective surgery in Australia: an investigation into perioperative patient health literacy, learning preferences and knowledge needs

Opportunity

Surgery plays a crucial role in healthcare, accounting for 30% of the global burden of disease (Shrime et al., 2016). However, healthcare services face challenges in effectively managing patients’ needs and expectations: surgical waitlists are long, operational activities are suboptimal, and patient cancellations and delays are frequent. This leads to poor health outcomes for patients and financial losses for the healthcare system. To address these healthcare system issues, this project aims to examine the health literacy levels, learning preferences, and knowledge needs of Australian patients undergoing elective surgery (elective surgery being more predictable than emergency surgery). By identifying shortcomings in, and recommending practical improvements for, preoperative patient education, the project aims to enhance patient outcomes.

Project Opportunity

1. Determine the population’s health literacy levels
2. Understand the populations learning preferences
3. Understand the populations perioperative knowledge needs
4. Identify the populations smartphone usage
5. Identify deficits and opportunities to improve the provision of surgical education
6. Develop a digital instrument for assessing patient health literacy levels, preferred learning styles and knowledge needs