Ms Samantha Gardiner

"Chronic wet cough in children: Economic burden of disease and aetiology"

Samantha is a registered nurse who is undertaking her PhD through the Queensland University of Technology under the supervision of Professor Anne Chang, Dr Helen Petsky, Dr Julie Marchant and Professor Nicholas Graves.

A chronic wet cough is a common symptom of a variety of childhood respiratory illnesses, and is a common reason for medical consultations. Samantha's project aims to investigate the economic burden of chronic wet cough, and relate this to the types of care provided and cause of the disease.

Samantha aims to address these gaps in knowledge through a prospective cohort study involving 110 families who are followed for 12 months after they are referred to a respiratory specialist as a result of their chronic cough. Her research investigates the quality of primary and tertiary care received and the impact on clinical outcomes, patient and family burden, and health services utilisation.

Samantha is supported by a CRE top up scholarship.