Dr Bridget Abell
Faculty of Health,
School of Public Health & Social Work
Biography
I am an implementation scientist and early career health services researcher at the Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation, Queensland University of Technology (QUT). My current research uses implementation science methodologies to increase the adoption and use of evidence-based practices to improve the quality, effectiveness, and equity of health services. In this role I use mixed-method approaches to work collaboratively with multi-disciplinary stakeholders to design, plan, implement and evaluate health service change. Taking time to ensure meaningful engagement with consumers, service providers and communities is at the core of this work. I am also a qualified Cardiac Physiologist and previous clinical work in national and international healthcare systems provides a wealth of experience to draw on when engaging with stakeholders at all levels.I have successfully collaborated on research projects with government health departments at local, state, and federal levels, as well as with non-government organisations, community groups and clinicians across numerous hospitals and health services. By drawing on implementation science methodologies throughout my work, I have been able to generate meaningful knowledge about project implementation that has been used in future decision-making and project planning. A hallmark of my work is also taking a pragmatic, collaborative, co-design approach which leads to increased stakeholder buy-in, ownership, and capacity building among partners.
I also have experience in teaching, mentoring and leadership. I successfully led a post-graduate unit at QUT, teaching and mentoring health service staff in the pragmatic application of implementation science methodology. Additionally, I am a long-serving member of the leading professional association for cardiac rehabilitation (Australian Cardiovascular Health and Rehabilitation Association), acting as Queensland state president, state representative and national research subcommittee co-chair.
Research Interests and HDR Supervision
My research interests fall into three broad categories:
- Implementation Science (across a broad range of settings and clinical fields)
- Cardiac Rehabilitation and exercise training
- Participatory research and co-design, particularly in community-based settings and with underserved populations (CALD communities, rural/remote communities)
Personal details
Positions
- Senior Research Fellow
Faculty of Health,
School of Public Health & Social Work
Keywords
health services research, implementation science, cardiac rehabilitation, evidence-based practice, exercise as medicine, clinical epidemiology, qualitative research, participatory research
Research field
Health services and systems, Other health sciences
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2020
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy (Bond University)
Professional memberships and associations
State Representative- Australian Cardiovascular Health and Rehabilitation Association (Queensland)
Teaching
I have experience teaching undergraduate students and post-graduate students in developing research, implementation and evaluation competencies relevant to careers in medicine, nursing, allied health professional practice, and health services research. Topics I have taught include:
- introductory statistics for medicine
- designing a research question
- different study types
- experimental vs observational research
- hypothesis testing
- confounding and bias
- logistic regression
- introduction to qualitative research
- critical appraisal
- implementation science
- program evaluation
- knowledge translation
- evidence-based practice
I have additionally been a facilitator of small group learning at regular workshops run for staff, students and researchers covering a variety of topics related to Evidence-Based Practice, Implementation Science and Systematic Reviews
Experience
I have successfully collaborated on research projects with government health departments at local, state, and federal levels, as well as with non-government organisations, community groups and clinicians across numerous hospitals and health services.
My research has also had major local and national impacts on real-world practices and policy decisions. This includes being translated into the adoption of a new model of mental health care in North Queensland; being cited as evidence underpinning six international guidelines in cardiac rehabilitation, and four international policy documents in paediatric trauma; submitted as evidence to two Queensland Senate inquiries; and being used to secure ongoing government funding for both national and local projects with refugee communities.
Publications
Research outputs by year
- Verdicchio, C., Freene, N., Hollings, M., Maiorana, A., Briffa, T., Gallagher, R., Hendriks, J., Abell, B., Brown, A., Colquhoun, D., Howden, E., Hansen, D., Reading, S. & Redfern, J. (2023). A Clinical Guide for Assessment and Prescription of Exercise and Physical Activity in Cardiac Rehabilitation. A CSANZ Position Statement. Heart, Lung and Circulation, 32(9), 1035–1048. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/242084
- White, N., Carter, H., Kularatna, S., Borg, D., Brain, D., Tariq, A., Abell, B., Blythe, R. & McPhail, S. (2023). Evaluating the costs and consequences of computerized clinical decision support systems in hospitals: a scoping review and recommendations for future practice. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA, 30(6), 1205–1218. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/239049
- Auld, B., Abell, B., Venugopal, P. & McPhail, S. (2023). Geographical challenges and inequity of healthcare access for high-risk paediatric heart disease. International Journal for Equity in Health, 22(1). https://eprints.qut.edu.au/244314
- Senanayake, S., Halahakone, D., Abell, B., Kularatna, S., McCreanor, V., McPhail, S., Redfern, J., Tom, Briffa. & Parsonage, W. (2023). Hybrid cardiac telerehabilitation for coronary artery disease in Australia: a cost-effectiveness analysis. BMC Health Services Research, 23. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/240151
- Abell, B., Naicker, S., Rodwell, D., Donovan, T., Tariq, A., Baysari, M., Blythe, R., Parsons, R. & McPhail, S. (2023). Identifying barriers and facilitators to successful implementation of computerized clinical decision support systems in hospitals: a NASSS framework-informed scoping review. Implementation Science, 18(1). https://eprints.qut.edu.au/242083
- Cartledge, S., Thomas, E., Murphy, B., Abell, B., Verdicchio, C., Zecchin, R., Cameron, J., Gallagher, R., Astley, C. & other, a. (2023). Impact of Early COVID-19 Waves on Cardiac Rehabilitation Delivery in Australia: A National Survey. Heart, Lung and Circulation, 32(3), 353–363. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/237663
- Donovan, T., Abell, B., Fernando, M., McPhail, S. & Carter, H. (2023). Implementation costs of hospital-based computerised decision support systems: a systematic review. Implementation Science, 18(1). https://eprints.qut.edu.au/238262
- Abell, B., Eagleson, K., Auld, B., Bora, S., Justo, R., Parsonage, W., Sharma, P., Kularatna, S. & McPhail, S. (2024). Implementing neurodevelopmental follow-up care for children with congenital heart disease: A scoping review with evidence mapping. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 66(2), 161–175. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/241463
- Abell, B., (2022). Evaluation of the CALD COVID-19 Health Engagement Project (CCHEP): Final Report. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/237772
- Abell, B., Carter, H., Davidson, K., Rodwell, D. & Tyack, Z. (2022). Evaluation of the Program of Assistance for Survivors of Torture and Trauma. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/239085
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Bridget, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).
Awards
- Type
- Other
- Reference year
- 2018
- Details
- President of the Australian Cardiovascular Health and Rehabilitation Association- Queensland (October 2016- present)
- Type
- Committee Role/Editor or Chair of an Academic Conference
- Reference year
- 2018
- Details
- Scientific Committee Chair for the 2018 Australian Cardiovascular Health and Rehabilitation Association Conference
- Type
- Reviewer for an Academic Journal
- Reference year
- 2017
- Details
- Conduct regular peer review of publications submitted to:-Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes-British Journal of Sports Medicine
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2015
- Details
- Awarded the "Best Poster" during the moderated poster sessions at the Australian Cardiovascular Health and Rehabilitation Association Conference, Melbourne, 2015 for the poster: "International guidance for prescribing exercise in cardiac rehabilitation: complementary or contradictory?"
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2014
- Details
- Winner of Bond University 3-Minute Thesis Competition 2014
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2014
- Details
- Awarded both the "People's Choice Award" and the "Best Exercise and Physical Activity Paper" at the Australian Cardiovascular Health and Rehabilitation Association Conference, Sydney, 2014 for the Oral Presentation: "Reducing mortality with exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation: Is it what patients do or how well they stick with it?"
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2012
- Details
- Awarded the "Best Exercise and Physical Activity Paper" at the Australian Cardiovascular Health and Rehabilitation Association Conference, Brisbane, 2012 for the oral Presentation: "Actiwave Cardio: the feasibility and validation of an innovative new ambulatory monitoring device:
Selected research projects
- Title
- NAVICARE: Implementing, scaling up and sustaining a co-designed care navigation model to improve mental health service access in regional Australia
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- GNT2018981
- Start year
- 2022
- Keywords
- Mental health services; Mental Health Promotion; Implementation; Health economics; Rural and Remote Health Services
- Title
- Value for money in cardiac rehabilitation: economic evaluation of different models of care
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- 1182301
- Start year
- 2021
- Keywords
- Title
- CHD LIFE+ Family-Centred Care Models Supporting Long-Term Neurodevelopment
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- ARGCHDG000035
- Start year
- 2020
- Keywords
Projects listed above are funded by Australian Competitive Grants. Projects funded from other sources are not listed due to confidentiality agreements.
Supervision
Looking for a postgraduate research supervisor?
I am currently accepting research students for Honours, Masters and PhD study.
You can browse existing student topics offered by QUT or propose your own topic.
Current supervisions
- Informing Health Service Change in Queensland for Childhood Heart Disease: Primary Care and Patient Experience
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Steven McPhail - Examining social factors to improve TBI outcomes from acute medical care to long-term community integration
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Karen Sullivan - Methods for costing the implementation of digital health innovations
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Hannah Carter, Professor Steven McPhail - The value of Implementation Science in Implementing Computerised Clinical Decision Support Systems in hospital settings
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Sundresan Naicker, Professor Steven McPhail, Associate Professor Zephanie Tyack - Consumer preferences for neurodevelopmental follow-up care for children
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Adjunct Associate Professor Sanjeewa Kularatna, Professor Steven McPhail, Dr Sameera Jayan Senanayake - How can clinicians be effectively engaged to identify and reduce unwarranted clinical variation?
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Associate Professor Zephanie Tyack