Cognitive and neurological disorders primarily affect a person's learning, memory, perception, and problem-solving ability. They also have profound adverse impacts on a person's function, emotions, communication, and relationships.
Cognitive and neurological disorders
Hi, my name is Wei, I’m a Palliative Care Specialist and I’m also a PhD Scholar based at UTS.
I think a lot of people that face life-limiting illnesses actually thought Palliative Care is all about the dying, however I think importantly, Palliative Care is more than people think because it focuses on living well with comfort and quality of life, which is what a lot of people long for.
I think clinical trials is one of the key elements to building up good patient care, because without clinical trials,
We can never really know what works, what doesn’t work, what treatments bring harm to patients, that also leads to inconsistency of care between doctors and nurses, because people do different things.
Having clinical trial evidence means that people can collaborate better to bring the care as needed for patients, ultimately benefiting the patient themselves. 80% of people, at the end of their life, will suffer from significant cognitive impairment, and similarly, one in two will suffer from depressed mood.
However these people often do not have their voice in saying what they would like in terms of treatment, let alone being able to participate in clinical trials, and I believe that if we can adapt and modify our clinical trial to be more friendly for these people, then we can give them the benefit of accessing interventions that might help them whilst also helping their loved ones.
Research program
The interdisciplinary Cognitive and Neurological Disorders Symptom Node Subcommittee (SNSC) has a comprehensive program of phase 1-4 studies focused on improving important outcomes for people with life-limiting conditions, such as symptom prevention and relief, optimising functions, and quality of life.
We welcome enthusiastic people interested in collaborating in research to improve health care evidence, practice, and outcomes for people with cognitive and neurological disorders. To express your interest in joining the Cognitive and Neurological Disorders SNSC, email paccsc@uts.edu.au (palliative interest) or cst@uts.edu.au (cancer symptom interest).
Subcommittee Chair
Dr Annmarie Hosie, is Associate Professor, Palliative Care Nursing at The University of Notre Dame Australia, School of Nursing Sydney, and St Vincent's Health Network Sydney. Dr Hosie's focus is on improving clinical care, function and quality of life of older people with advanced illness through high-quality research, translation, advocacy, supervision and leadership. She is skilled in the use of implementation theoretical frameworks and research methodologies such as systematic review, clinical trials, mixed methods, and observational studies.
Dr Hosie has been a member of the PaCCSC/CST Trials Management Committee since 2018 and has been published widely in the field of palliative care, nursing and delirium.
