Ten new medical research projects, including an education program to improve health literacy for socio-economically and culturally diverse new parents will be funded, thanks to the Australian Government and the Australian medical community.

The Parenting+ project, funded through the National Health and Medical Research Council’s (NHMRC) Partnership Project scheme, will also include contributions from the Western Sydney Local Health District, Western Sydney Primary Health Network, Healthdirect Australia and the Sydney Local Health District.

Parenting+ and nine other research projects across Australia have been funded though the Morrison Government’s $11.3 million investment in this current round of NHMRC Partnership Project grants. This funding has helped to secure an additional $15.6 million co-investment in cash and in kind support from 80 partner agencies, to advance critical projects in health and medical research.

Ten projects are funded with partners including hospitals, state governments, services and patient representative bodies.

NHMRC’s Partnership Project scheme supports translation of research through effective integration of research evidence into health policy and service delivery.

Of the 10 projects funded, three concern heart disease and aim to develop:

• genetic risk scores for more targeted strategies to prevent heart disease
• heart failure guidelines for hospitals and clinics in regional Australia without specialist medical teams, and
• sophisticated electronic data systems and integrated care teams for patient-centred management of acute myocardial infarction to overcome variation in outcomes.

The research funded through these grants is at the heart of health policy and primary care in Australia. Further funded projects will examine crucial areas of medical research including:

• improved training for interpreters facilitating dementia assessments in culturally and linguistically diverse settings.
• addressing gaps in Australia’s response to HIV and improve testing and control of syphilis
• optimise telephone cancer information and support services
• teaching emergency nurses how to systematically assess and manage emergency patients.