Using Arts-Based Research Methods to support Children with Burn Injuries and their Families in Townsville
Townsville Hospital and Health Service
The mean age of children in Australia and New Zealand who sustain a burn is 4.6 years – and these young children who have a burn injury are a vulnerable group that may experience long term psychopathology, while their parents are also at risk of developing psychological difficulties. Townsville Hospital and Health Service are developing a play based therapeutic extension to routine care for burn survivors aged between two and six and their caregivers.
This “Amazing Day Out” offers challenge by choice outdoor and sensory based experiences, fun therapeutic artistic activities, and psychoeducation for caregivers. As well as building self-reflection and peer support for parents, confidence and resilience in children, quantitative and qualitative arts-based methods (photographs and drawings) will assess the experience.
Amazing Day Out is a partnership between North Queensland Paediatric Burns Service, Townsville University Hospital, Amazing Grace Early Learning Centre, and Brighter Lives Hospital Foundation, with allied health clinicians from the Townsville University Hospital and Early Childhood Educators from Amazing Grace delivering the activities and psychoeducation.
Local team: Debra Phillips (Occupational Therapist) and Dr Gail Kingston (Occupational Therapist & Clinical Research Coordinator), Townsville Hospital and Health Service.
QUT Led: Professor Evonne Miller: e.miller@qut.edu.au