Creating a bespoke education program for Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHS) in NSW

Siobhan Connolly¹,
¹ACI Statewide Burn Injury Service, St Leonards, NSW, Australia

Abstract

Background
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare state that hospitalisations for burn injury was 2.8 times more likely for First Nations persons. First Nation children are more than twice as likely to be admitted to hospital with a burn than non-Indigenous children.
Most burn units are in metropolitan areas which can involve significant travel time and dislocation from community and family, in addition to being at a service where trust and rapport has not been established.

Method
Burn services and Aboriginal communities voiced a need for a burn training program designed for Aboriginal health workers to increase their knowledge and capacity to deliver quality burn care within community.
Site visits were conducted at four ACCHS who expressed an interest in being involved in a pilot. Staff were consulted on content to include, timing and teaching methods.
A bespoke burn course was created to provide education on burn assessment and management for the minor burn injured patient. The material was created with relevance and acknowledgement of Aboriginal people. Endorsement was gained from the National Association of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Practitioners (NAATSIHWP).

Discussion
The initial pilot was conducted face-to-face but due to the number of ACCHS in NSW (n=37) the material is also being created as online. This online material will be available to all appropriate staff.
This course is a collaboration with the NSW Statewide Burn Injury Service, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, The George Institute and Aboriginal Community Control Health Services.

Biography

Siobhan has been working in burns for 25 years and is currently the Burn Prevention/Education Manager of the ACI Statewide Burn Injury Service since 2005. Before this time she worked as a burn nurse specialist in the Burn Unit at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead.
She has completed a Bachelor of Nursing and Masters of Nursing Science (Burns Nursing). She is currently a PhD candidate with UNSW.
She is Chair of the ANZBA Burn Prevention Committee and a member of the ANZBA Board.
She has co-authored multiple papers and developed numerous resources for burn management and prevention.