RealStat

Case studies

• Growing better pinot noir

  Vincent Lakey was interested in using environmentally friendly treatments of the soil under pinot noir vines. He compared a standard herbicide with two greener alternatives: straw mulch and compost. The key question Vincent wanted to answer was: Did the under vine treatment influence the vine yield and wine quality?

• Anaesthetic use in removing wisdom teeth

  The injection in the roof of the mouth can be quite painful and can result in swelling and discomfort after the tooth is removed. Dr. Mark Badcock wondered if the palatal anaesthetic was really helping to reduce pain. The key question Mark wanted to answer was: Is palatal anaesthetic needed when removing the third upper molar teeth?

• Harvesting native lilies

  John Delpratt was interested in finding the best way to harvest seed from Bulbine bulbosa – a perennial lily native to grassland in southern and eastern Australia. The key issues John wanted to address were: Did the harvesting method influence seed yield and seed size?

• Managing native grasslands

  John Delpratt and Ian Shears were interested in finding a good way to maintain a diverse range of native flowering plants in Australian grasslands. The key question John and Ian wanted to answer was: How do different nutrient levels and mowing frequencies affect the growth of native flower species in native grassland?

• Music therapy for the terminally ill

  Music therapists use music as a treatment aimed at promoting good health and well-being. Anne Horne-Thompson is a music therapist who works with people with terminal illnesses. The key question Anne wanted to answer was: Can music therapy reduce anxiety in terminally ill patients?

• Preventing falls

  Falls are one of the major causes of admission to hospital for elderly people. Preventing falls in the elderly has enormous health, social and economic benefits. The key question that the study team wanted to answer was: Which intervention or combination of interventions best reduces the risk of falls in elderly people living at home?

• Sorting out the rubbish

  This case study is based on a real court case between a Council in the state of Victoria, Australia, and a garbage collection company. The key questions that the Council wanted to answer were: Was Dr. Johns’ conclusion justified? Was there anything wrong with the weighbridge?

• Study of graft arteries

  Coronary bypass surgery involves taking pieces of artery or vein from elsewhere in the body and using them to replace blocked arteries in the heart. The key question that Brian and Lek wanted to answer was: In the same patients, were the levels of disease similar in the radial artery and the internal thoracic artery?

• Health risks of fire-fighters

  The Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Services Board in Victoria, Australia wanted to know what the combined research evidence was for the risk of cancer and heart disease in fire-fighters. The key question was: What is the cumulative evidence of the health risks of being a fire-fighter compared with the general population?

• Colour vision

  Professor Barry Cole and his colleagues, Ka-Yee Lian and Carol Lakkis, were interested in learning more about how people with colour vision problems detect surface colours, so that the design of colour-coded displays could be improved. The key question was: How accurately can people with abnormal colour vision name surface colours?