Dr Sarah Fraser¹, Dr  Courtney Ryder², Dr Julianne Coombes³, Ms Hayley Williams⁴

¹University Of New South Wales, , Australia, ²Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia, ³The George Institute for Global Health Australia, Sydney, Australia, ⁴University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

Abstract:

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s health and wellbeing outcomes are strengthened though their connections to Country and Songlines, family ties and support, and fulfilment of cultural practices and customs. These health and wellbeing outcomes are impacted by systems of care and numerous gaps in the quality of Australian healthcare systems for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their families. Together we aimed to examine the systems of burn care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from multiple perspectives. The focus of our work was on the quality and cultural capability of burn care encompassing varying knowledge systems. We draw on results from three Aboriginal and one non-Indigenous PhD student’s perspectives on their studies. Through our studies we have gained new understandings of health inequities in acute burn injuries impacting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. We explored what informs current burn care, how burn care is delivered and structured. We also sought to understand the social and emotional impacts of paediatric burn injuries and care from family experiences, burn health professionals’ perspectives, and ethnographic observations of burn care. Finally, we heard family’s stories on barriers and facilitators to aftercare. Results of our collective work demonstrates a disconnect between systems, delivery, experience, and understanding of burn care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families. The sharing of ideas drawn from the experiences of the PhD’s has led to a new project called Safe Pathways; a culturally safe project focusing on ‘Systems Effectiveness’ through development of workforce capacity and continuous quality improvement.

Biography:

We are three Aboriginal and one non-Indigenous PhD student’s presenting our perspectives on our studies and a informational solution to improve burn care.