Page 1409 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 1 May 1990
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The report summarises what currently exists in Canberra, its shortcomings and what is believed to be needed. Importantly, it identifies the next steps to improving our system. There has to be some basic support in terms of laboratories, animal facilities, library, workshops, medical illustration, and facilities for clinical investigation with the necessary secretarial, computing, biostatistical advisory and technical staff. Scholarships for undergraduates would be required to be funded through the university or the hospital corresponding in general conditions to those awarded by the National Health and Medical Research Council.
Much of clinical research is dependent on adequate medical records. If the clinical record is deficient, the diagnosis cannot be computer coded and therefore case finding and retrospective analysis will be impossible. Medical records, peer review and quality assurance programs need to be improved or established to a high standard. To enable the provision of a satisfactory research environment, a formal and properly constituted board of research would also need to be established.
The report suggests that a research grants committee will need to be appointed by the board of research with external members experienced in different fields of medical research. The possibility of establishing a research foundation to raise money for research and to establish a significant capital research fund will also need to be explored.
The research team presented the following options for a university hospital in the ACT. The first would be to enter into a relationship with an established State university medical school. Many of these are short of clinical teaching facilities and might welcome the opportunity of sending clinical students elsewhere. The second option might be to enrol the medical students in the newly created University of Canberra, which already has courses in areas related to medicine. The third option is to establish in the principal hospital, at Woden, an undergraduate clinical school for the last three years of a six-year course, with the degree awarded by the Australian National University. This school would be open to all third-year undergraduates from State university medical schools who meet the selection criteria set in Canberra. Newcastle requires special consideration. However, the review team was unanimous in preferring the proposal to establish the clinical medical school as part of the Australian National University.
The Government is now considering the review team's recommendations concerning the establishment of a university hospital in the ACT. Canberra does have some advantages for the conduct of clinical research. It has a well-defined catchment population, an excellent hospital system, and proximity to a large amount of expertise in the John Curtin School of Medical Research and some other
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