Catherine Martin

• PhD
• Statistician at Monash University (Australia)

Study objectives: To assess change in Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scores (HADS) following continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Methods: Consecutive patients attending Alfred Health sleep clinic, diagnosed with OSA and prescribed CPAP were recruited. Primary outcome was change in depressio...

Introduction Bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) after allogeneic haemopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) is an under-recognised and difficult to treat disease. This occurs in the context of limited clinical research and inconsistent diagnostic criteria. Method Retrospective data was collected on 275 patients who underwent allogeneic HSCT at...

The burden of comorbidities post-lung transplant is well documented; however, there remains a paucity of studies on insomnia in this population. Sleep disturbance has been well documented in other organ transplants. We evaluated the prevalence and potential associations of insomnia in a lung transplant cohort. A cross-sectional study of lung transp...

Background Understanding of dysfunctional breathing in patients with difficult asthma who remain symptomatic despite maximal inhaler therapy is limited. Objective We characterized the pattern of dysfunctional breathing in patients with difficult asthma and identified possible contributory factors. Methods Dysfunctional breathing was identified in...

Background Infection in orthopaedic surgery can be catastrophic. Increased perspiration from theatre staff has been associated with higher rates of wound contamination. Wearing lead safety gowns, which is often done during surgery to allow the use of image intensifier, may result in heavy perspiration. This study aimed to determine the feasibility...

Objectives To examine the impact of changes to the reporting requirements in coronial legislation on the nature and frequency of nursing home resident deaths reported to Coroners. Design National retrospective study of a population cohort of nursing home resident deaths. Setting Accredited Australian nursing homes between July 2000 and June 2013....

Backgrounds The aim of this study was to systematically analyse and perform a meta‐analysis on the current available literature comparing the fusion rates and complications associated with use of autograft, allograft and bone substitutes to supplement posterior spinal fusion for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). Methods The electronic databas...

This study aimed to examine associations between health status and care needs of nursing home residents and risk of death from suicide compared to other causes through a retrospective data linkage cohort study examining nursing home resident deaths in Australia between 2000 and 2013. Data linkage was performed between aged care assessment tools—Res...

A systematic review was undertaken to identify lifestyle intervention studies in South Asian migrant populations to determine the effect on the components of the metabolic syndrome. A total of seven studies were identified, of which six focused on educational advice and the seventh on intensive exercise intervention. Four studies were Randomised Co...

Aims and objectives: Investigate effects of teamwork on missed nursing care across a healthcare network in Australia. Background: Missed care is universally used as an indicator of quality nursing care, however, little is known about mitigating effects of teamwork on these events. Design: A descriptive exploratory study. Methods: Missed Care...

Aims and objectives: To explore emergency nurses perceptions of the use of manual restraint. Background: Manual restraint of patients has historically been an accepted practice, though little is known about the use of manual restraint in general hospitals. Design: A qualitative, descriptive, exploratory, study was undertaken. Method: Fifteen...

Objectives: The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (VDD) varies among migrants from different geographic regions. The aim of this study was to estimate the pooled prevalence of VDD among dark-skinned migrants Method: A meta-analysis using meta-regression was undertaken to determine the prevalence of VDD in dark-skinned migrant populations. Prevale...

Background A proportion of deliberate self-poisoning (DSP) patients present repeatedly to the emergency department (ED). Understanding the characteristics of frequent DSP patients and their presentation is a first step to implementing interventions that are designed to prevent repeated self-poisoning. Methods All DSP presentations to three network...

Introduction/background Attitude of staff toward patients who present to the emergency department following deliberate self-poisoning may be integral to the outcome of these events. There is little in-depth understanding of emergency staff perceptions about this vulnerable group. Aim Explore staff perceptions about caring for patients who present...

Background. Deliberate self-poisoning (DSP) comprises a small but significant proportion of presentations to the emergency department (ED). However, the prevalence and patient characteristics of self-poisoning attendances to EDs in Victoria have not been recently characterised. Aim. To identify and compare the characteristics of adult patients pres...

Abstract Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience challenges when accessing health care from the Emergency Department. The aim of this project was to identify the perceived barriers and enablers to accessing health care at one Victorian Emergency Department for the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. This qualitati...

We determined clinical predictors of the rate of rise (RoR) in blood pressure in the morning as well as a novel measure of the power of the BP surge (BPpower) derived from ambulatory blood pressure recordings. BPpower and RoR were calculated from 409 ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) recordings from subjects attending a cardiovascular risk clinic. An...

Numerous studies have examined whether white-coat hypertension (WCHT) is associated with increased cardiovascular risk, but with definitions of WCHT that were not sufficiently robust, results have been inconsistent. The aim of the present review was to standardize the evidence by only including studies that used a definition of WCHT consistent with...

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) people have significant health disparity compared with other Australians. The present study examines the characteristics of ATSI patients presenting to three EDs of a single healthcare network to determine whether any healthcare disadvantages exist. This is a retrospective audit of 179 795 presentations...

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience poorer health outcomes and greater challenges when accessing health care from emergency departments. Anecdotally the needs of these communities were not being met at one busy metropolitan emergency department. This paper presents findings from a project that aimed to identify the perceived bar...

Deliberate self-poisoning is one of the frequent presentation types to emergency departments. It has been reported that attitudes of emergency staff may have negative consequences for the wellbeing of the self-poisoning patient. Determine the attitude of nursing and medical staff towards patients who present with deliberate self-poisoning and to id...

AIM: A number of studies have examined if WCHT is associated with increased cardiovascular risk but with definitions of WCHT that were not sufficiently robust, and results have been inconsistent. This review aims to standardise the evidence by only including studies which used a definition of WCHT consistent with international guidelines. METHOD: P...

A morning blood pressure surge (MBPS) may be either a mechanism for, or a marker of, increased cardiovascular events. This study has examined factors which may influence the morning surge: age, gender, metabolic factors, sympathetic function, blood pressure and arterial stiffness. Four measures of the MBPS were examined-sleep-trough surge, pre-awak...

Background: White-coat hypertension (WCHT) is known to be associated with increased risk of sustained hypertension compared to normotensives1. In this study potential baseline predictors of future hypertension in WCHT were examined. Design and methods: Thirty-seven WCHT subjects and forty-two normotensives were recruited from the same geographic ar...

Isolated clinic hypertension (ICHT) may be an indicator of both future hypertension and diabetes. This study examines the 2-h plasma glucose level post load (2hPG), and measures of arterial stiffness, autonomic function and circulating biomarkers in ICHT, normotension and hypertension. Participants aged 39-75 years, who were untreated for hypertens...

This review examines the current evidence for altered mechanical and circulating biomarkers in isolated clinic hypertension and their potential significance. Arterial stiffness, as assessed by central pulse wave velocity, is influenced by multiple cardiovascular risk factors; however, an independent association with isolated clinic hypertension (IC...