MRFF Grant Success: Augmenting dietary protein during critical illness

Dr An Duy Tran at the Health Economics Unit is the health economist and chief investigator in a recently successful MRFF Grant belonging to the Rare Cancers, Rare Diseases and Unmet Need Stream. Led by Associate Professor Adam Dean, the team was awarded almost $2 million to investigate the effect on health outcomes and cost-effectiveness of administration of augmented dietary protein to critically ill adults via a cluster randomised, cross-sectional clinical trial at high volume ICUs across Australia.

About 40,000 Australians suffer from critical illness requiring invasive organ support each year, with a mortality rate of 25%. The findings from this project will transform critically ill patients in Australia and world-wide, and inform decision makers about whether the augmented dietary protein represents value for money.