Linda Quinn1, Lachlan Farmer2, Michelle Lodge3, Amy Jeeves4, Karla Matousek5, Anne Gannoni6, Emma Carroll7, Margot McDougall8, Bernard Carney9
1Women’s and Children’s Hospital (WCH), 72 King William Street, North Adelaide, SA, 5006, linda.quinn@sa.gov.au
2Women’s and Children’s Hospital, 72 King William Street, North Adelaide, SA, 5006, lachlan.farmer@sa.gov.au
3Women’s and Children’s Hospital, 72 King William Street, North Adelaide, SA, 5006, mllodge@bigpond.com.au
4Women’s and Children’s Hospital, 72 King William Street, North Adelaide, SA, 5006, amyjeeves@gmail.com
5Women’s and Children’s Hospital, 72 King William Street, North Adelaide, SA, 5006, karla.matousek@sa.gov.au
6Women’s and Children’s Hospital, 72 King William Street, North Adelaide, SA, 5006, anne.gannoni@sa.gov.au
7Women’s and Children’s Hospital, 72 King William Street, North Adelaide, SA, 5006, emma.carroll751@schools.sa.gov.edu
8Women’s and Children’s Hospital, 72 King William Street, North Adelaide, SA, 5006, margot.mcdougall870@schools.sa.edu.au
9Women’s and Children’s Hospital, 72 King William Street, North Adelaide, SA, 5006, bcarney@apsa.com.au
Returning to school can be a major step for burn-injured children, their family, staff and pupils at the receiving school. Attending school is a vital part of a child’s life and development both for gaining academic achievements and developing social skills. The time it takes to return to school can be an important indicator of their emotional adjustment and functional capacity.
The aim of the audit is to determine whether children are experiencing difficulties returning to school following a burn injury. If they are, what are the factors hindering this process and what can be put in place to assist with this transition?
All school aged children admitted to the WCH Paediatric Burns Service in 2015 for greater than 48 hours will be identified and recruited at their next routine follow up. A questionnaire will be completed with the parent using an interview methodology with secondary school aged children involved in the interview. Quantitative data will be analysed using thematic analysis to reveal key themes from the responses. The comments will be independently coded by two clinicians and themes will be then agreed. Qualitative date will be then be analysed to determine any connection. For example if there are common themes connected to burn size or location.
The results, outcomes and recommendations will be presented here.
Key Words
Return to school, children’s burns, school.
Biography
Linda has worked at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital for the majority of her 30 year nursing career post registration. She has extensive paediatric surgical experience and has specialised in paediatric burns nursing since 2006. She has post graduate qualifications in both paediatric and burns nursing.She is an instructor for the Australian and New Zealand Burns Association Emergency Management of Severe Burns Course both nationally and internationally. Her role at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital includes coordinating the inpatient and outpatient care of all burn injured children and burn reconstruction patients.