AV鈥檚 Centre for Research and Evaluation is an international leader in pre-hospital emergency care, health services and resuscitation research.
Between July 2024 and June 2025, 105 active research projects were registered in the AV research governance system and staff led or contributed to the publication of 76 peer-reviewed manuscripts, many in high-impact and top-ranking journals in fields of emergency medicine, cardiology, and pre-hospital emergency care.
Our research program is internationally recognised, attracting almost 2,500 citations across peer-reviewed literature in 2024-25, including 48 citations in policy and scientific statements or treatment guidelines. Our research is highly collaborative, involving partnerships with universities, hospitals, and research institutions. In 2024-25, we proudly signed 11 new research agreements with partners, helping us achieve our strategic goal of being a strong, connected, and collaborative research centre.
Highlights
Smartphone alerts boost survival after cardiac arrest
A study led by AV found that smartphone-activated volunteer responders could play a crucial role in saving lives after cardiac arrest.
The research, published in the , analysed 9,196 adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrests between 2018 and 2023 and looked at the impact of volunteers alerted through the GoodSAM smartphone application. Volunteer responders attended 13 per cent of eligible cases, arriving before paramedics in nearly half of them.
When volunteer responders arrived before paramedics, the chances of someone receiving CPR were more than seven times higher, and the chances of early defibrillation were about 16 times higher. Importantly, the likelihood of survival to hospital discharge also improved by 37 per cent compared to when no volunteer responders attended cardiac arrests. The study indicated that expanding smartphone-based programs across Australia and increasing the number of trained volunteers could significantly increase survival rates from cardiac arrest.
Paramedics deliver antibiotics early in ground-breaking sepsis trial
In a first-of-its-kind Australian trial, paramedics in Victoria collected blood cultures and administered intravenous antibiotics before hospital arrival in patients suspected of having sepsis (i.e. a severe blood stream infection). The results, published in , show promising potential for accelerating the early treatment of sepsis.
The Paramedic Antibiotics in Severe Sepsis (PASS) trial enrolled 35 adults showing signs of infection, low blood pressure, and altered consciousness. All had blood cultures drawn by paramedics, with 89 per cent successfully collected and 42 per cent of which confirmed infection.
Participants were randomly assigned to either standard care or standard care plus two grams of intravenous ceftriaxone administered by paramedics. Patients who received antibiotics by paramedics got treatment 108 minutes faster than patients in the control group (median time: 42 min vs 150 min.
The study confirms that paramedics can safely perform advanced procedures like blood culture collection and intravenous antibiotic delivery in the field. While the PASS trial marks an important step in bringing hospital-level sepsis care to the roadside, larger trials are needed to determine whether earlier therapy improves patient outcomes in severe sepsis.
Cultural barriers may limit the use of ambulances among multicultural communities
An AV study published in has shown that people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds are significantly less likely to use ambulance services compared to other Australians. Analysing over 1.26 million cases between 2015 and 2019, researchers found that 21.6 per cent of ambulance patients were from CALD communities, yet their overall use of ambulance services was 13 per cent lower than non-CALD patients before accounting for demographic differences.
Once adjusted for age and gender, the disparity widened: CALD patients were 51 per cent less likely to call an ambulance compared to non-CALD Australians. The disparity was especially pronounced in certain emergencies 鈥� CALD patients were 61 per cent less likely to use ambulance services for mental health or substance-related crises compared to non-CALD patients.
The findings suggest that cultural, linguistic or social factors may prevent CALD individuals from seeking emergency care. Potential solutions could include community education, improving translation services, and culturally sensitive outreach 鈥� steps that could help ensure that everyone, regardless of background, has equal access to life-saving emergency care.
Victorian cardiac arrest survival rates triple thanks to bystander action
A new study led by AV shows that survival rates after cardiac arrest in Victoria have improved dramatically over the past two decades. Researchers analysed more than 102,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests recorded between 2003 and 2022 and found that while the overall number of cardiac arrests has remained steady, more people are surviving thanks to faster action from bystanders.
The study, published in the , showed that rates of bystander CPR increased from 40 per cent to 72 per cent over the 20-year period, while the use of publicly accessible defibrillators increased from less than one per cent to 16 per cent.
For patients whose cardiac arrest was witnessed and who had a shockable heart rhythm (known internationally as the 鈥楿tstein comparator group鈥�), survival to hospital discharge was more than three times higher in 2022 compared with 2003.
Among survivors followed up a year after their cardiac arrest, about four in 10 reported a return to full health. The findings highlight the life-saving impact of teaching CPR, making defibrillators widely available, and encouraging members of the community to step in during a cardiac emergency.
Research funding
AV researchers were lead investigators of several new National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) and National Heart Foundation (NHF) research grants in 2024-25. Research grants underpin our ability to invest in clinical innovation and support the critical infrastructure required to deliver world-leading clinical trials and cohort studies. In 2024-25, AV researchers and its research partners attracted over $8 million in research funding:
- Emergency Management Victoria Grant for 鈥楩irst responder and paramedics PTSD prevention through eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing: a randomised controlled trial. Funding: $374,505.
- Heart Foundation Catalyst Partnership Grant for 鈥楾ransforming pre-hospital cardiac care: Getting the right treatment at the right time鈥�. Funding: $100,000.
- NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence for 鈥業mproving the emergency response to save lives: An Aus-ROC Centre of Research Excellence鈥�. Funding: $3,000,000.
- MRFF Cardiovascular Health Grant for 鈥業mproving outcomes and survivorship following sudden cardiac arrest in the young鈥�. Funding: $4,999,576.
Awards
The Centre for Research and Evaluation received multiple awards in 2024-25 recognising its contribution to science in the field of pre-hospital emergency care. Associate Professor Ziad Nehme, Director of the Centre for Research and Evaluation, was awarded the 2024 NHMRC Peter Doherty Investigator Grant Award for Emerging Leadership, recognising him as one of Australia鈥檚 top emerging medical researchers.
Presented at the 2025 NHMRC Research Excellence Awards, the honour acknowledges his ground-breaking work in improving outcomes for cardiac arrest patients.
His research focuses on enhancing emergency call recognition, increasing bystander CPR and defibrillation through community engagement and technology, and improving post-resuscitation care to boost survival and neurological recovery.
In addition, paramedic Charlotte Kennedy was awarded the Best Free Paper Award at the 2025 鈥楽park of Life鈥� Conference in Melbourne, for a study examining the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on CPR quality during cardiac arrest.
Finally, MICA paramedic and PhD candidate, Richard Armour, received the 鈥楤est Presentation from an Emerging Researcher鈥� award at the 2025 Monash Addiction Research Centre Symposium for his presentation titled 鈥業nitiation of opioid agonist therapy using buprenorphine in the emergency department or emergency out of hospital setting: A mixed-methods systematic review鈥�.
These collective awards are strong acknowledgment of the impact of AV鈥檚 research.
Clinical Insights and Grand Rounds
In 2024-25, we continued to strengthen and evolve our clinical communication channels, with the continuation of Clinical Insights (publication) and Grand Rounds (clinical events).
This supports the sharing of knowledge, inspire reflection and foster informed dialogue across our clinical and operational workforce.
Launched the previous year, these initiatives centre around key clinical themes, offering in-depth exploration of topics including improving diagnosis for patient safety, trauma and mental health.
Through a refreshed approach, the 2024-25 series introduced broader subject areas, welcomed new contributors and created more opportunities for cross-disciplinary discussion and engagement.
These platforms remain focused on delivering content that is relevant, practical and grounded in real-world clinical experience, highlighting evidence-informed care, innovation and the stories that drive improved outcomes for patients and teams alike.
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