5 minute read
Interview with Jacqueline Roots, ASA Research Grant Recipient 2021
ASA RESEARCH GRANTS
The ASA is committed to supporting sonographers who are striving to make improvements and develop new applications for the sonography profession by offering annual grant funding. The ASA Research Grants support sonographers undertaking important research, which leads to publications and contributes to the evidence base of sonography. Each year, a total funding pool of AUD$30,000 is available to support one or more research projects to facilitate new research. We asked three previous recipients of the ASA Research Grant about their research projects, how the grant assisted their work, and what they hope to achieve with their research.
Jacqueline Roots
ASA Research Grant Recipient 2021
Research Project: Shear Wave Elastography to assess the change in stiffness of muscles in the acute stage post-stroke. Host Organisation: Queensland University of Technology
What is your research project about? What methods are you using?
This project is using an advanced ultrasound technology called shear wave elastography to assess the stiffness of muscles after a person has had a stroke. Stroke survivors can develop an increased muscle stiffness, leading to pain and decreased range of motion. Their occupational therapists and physiotherapists can try to target rehabilitation to the affected muscles to reduce the likelihood of the increased stiffness occurring; however, the current tests are subjective and unreliable. Shear wave elastography will be able to quantitatively determine the stiffness of the muscles and detect changes earlier which will lead to improve rehabilitation and quality of life for survivors. This is a longitudinal, prospective, observational study where scans are completed bedside at a hospital. We will evaluate the stiffness of the biceps muscle twice a week for the first four weeks after a person has had a stroke.
What is the current status of your research project?
We have completed two sets of data collection on healthy volunteers and analysed the data ready for publication. We have obtained ethics approval and are currently collaborating with the neurology departments to finish the site-specific assessment. We are about to start scanning the stroke survivors at the hospital and will recruit participants for 40 weeks. The project is QCAT approved and registered on the Clinical Trials Registry. Our team has become GCP and MoCA certified.
Why did you want to undertake this research?
I wanted to undertake this research because I love knowing that I’m making an impact. I enjoy learning, but when there is a question that has never been answered, that means you’ve got to figure out the answer yourself, and that’s research to me. This particular research is fascinating because shear wave elastography has so many potential applications and there are countless unanswered questions yet to be investigated. I believe that eventually shear wave elastography will be another tool in the sonographer’s toolkit like Doppler, dynamic assessment, 3D or SMI.
You were the recipient of the 2021 ASA Research Grant; why did you apply and how has the grant assisted your research?
I applied to the ASA Research Grant because I’d seen the excellent work of the previous recipients and wanted to do the same. My research project was limited by a budget and without the ASA grant I would have had to scale back the project immensely. It has assisted me in guaranteeing I can collaborate with the hospital easily, cover the materials, and purchase software for the data collection. I also love the idea that I’ll be able to disseminate my research findings with ASA, because it will reach Australian sonographers who will be some of the first in the world to be utilising this technology.
What are you hoping to achieve with your research?
This research is hopefully the start of something much bigger. This research will help occupational therapists to target their patient’s therapy to exactly where it is needed, without spending time on muscles that don’t need it. Ideally, shear wave elastography of the muscles will become a new diagnostic test to help stroke survivors initially before moving outwards to include other neuromuscular disorders and musculoskeletal pathologies such as cerebral palsy, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, myositis and Parkinson’s disease.
What did you gain by doing the research?
This research is part of my PhD with Queensland University of Technology. I have gained so much knowledge from undertaking this research. I’ve learnt about the physics behind the different types of elastography, the best data collection methods and ways to analyse the data. I’ve improved my academic writing style and my ability to communicate complex ideas. I’ve been able to publish papers as a first author and collaborate with researchers and sonographers from all over Australia.
Would you undertake it again?
Yes, absolutely. There are always going to be ‘highs and lows’ with research, but overall I’ve definitely enjoyed the process. I have met so many new people and been able to learn so much, not only about my own topic but about the projects from other researchers. I had no idea there were so many sonographers involved in research until I started this project. What (if any) challenges did you face, and how did you overcome them?
The main challenge has been learning about the statistical analysis. I have a wonderful statistician to help analyse the data, but you must make sure you’re collecting the right data that will answer the question. Other minor challenges have been the amount of time spent in administration-related work, such as paperwork and emails, therefore it’s a good idea to have multiple tasks on the go in case anything takes longer than anticipated. I think it’s really important to have a good support network when it comes to research, in both supervisors and friends. You need to have someone to chat to or vent with about the trivial little problems so that they don’t become big problems.
