Is Anybody Listening? Stories from Australia’s First Nations Families whose Children had Sustained a Burn Injury

Publication Type:
Thesis
Issue Date:
2021
Full metadata record
๐—•๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ธ๐—ด๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ฑ: Australiaโ€™s First Nations children experience a higher prevalence of burn injury than other Australian children. Despite being over-represented, there is no research that tells the story of burn aftercare from the perspective of families. ๐—”๐—ถ๐—บ๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ผ๐—ฏ๐—ท๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐˜€: This thesis aimed to identify barriers and facilitators to burn aftercare for Australiaโ€™s First Nations children who sustain serious burn injuries and to ensure the voices of First Nations people is privileged throughout. The objectives were to: 1) document the barriers and facilitators to aftercare; 2) understand the extent to which these barriers contribute to poor health outcomes.; 3) help inform the development of clear and practical clinical guidelines; 4) identify culturally safe approaches to support families when accessing multidisciplinary teams in health services and community settings; and 5) to better understand what appropriate resources are needed to support families leaving the tertiary health system and improve access to burn aftercare. ๐— ๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ต๐—ผ๐—ฑ๐˜€: My thesis is a strong representation for being true to Australiaโ€™s First Nations voice, maintaining strong cultural connection through storytelling, yarning and Dadirri and bringing that to the fore. My standpoint, my identity and being true to myself as a First Nations woman laid the foundations for this body of work. My systematic review found there was nothing in burns care that privileged the voices of First Nations peoples in accessing ongoing burn care. For First Nations children with a chronic condition, the review highlighted a lack of culturally appropriate services and difficulties related to travelling to services as key barriers in accessing ongoing care. ๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐˜๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด: Australian First Nations children and their families who had sustained a burn injury were asked to share their journey to recovery to better understand the barriers and/or facilitators to burn aftercare. ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜‚๐—น๐˜๐˜€: Familiesโ€™ experiences in burn aftercare within health services in Australia comprised of significant barriers in accessing healthcare following their childโ€™s burn. Racism, distance to aftercare services, cost of transport and parking in hospital grounds for outpatient clinics and disconnection from family were some barriers that families voiced as central issues. However, there were also some clear facilitators such as the support of First Nations Health Workers and Liaison Officers. It was also found to be fundamental for First Nations families to have input into care received and clear and concise communication on the care that is needed for ongoing burn aftercare to be effective.
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