Empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and the frontline workforce to respond to violence-related concussion through co-designed education and training
Empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and the frontline workforce to respond to violence-related concussion through co-designed education and training
Funders:
- The project is funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council via an Ideas Grant (#2037339)
Collaborators:
- Alice Springs Hospital
- Australasian College of Emergency Medicine
- Central Australian Aboriginal Congress
- Tangentyere Council
- Townsville Hospital and Health Service
- Synapse Australia
Aims:
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) including concussion is a common injury from violence that has lasting impacts on the brain. Our research in 2022-23 (ARC DE210100639) found that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women felt they did not receive adequate information either in hospital or at their local community clinic to understand their injury, how physical violence changes brain function and strategies to manage daily symptoms. Furthermore, longstanding frontline workforce characteristics affect consistency of TBI education provided in regional and remote Australia, including:
1) high heath workforce turnover;
2) lack of visiting neuropsychological services; and
3) low skills of the frontline workforce to ask about TBI and action appropriate referrals.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in central and northern Australia recommend community-led violence-related TBI education to raise TBI awareness as well as strengthen responsive supports for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. This project responds directly to this recommendation.
Objectives:
This project will deliver valid, reliable, and community co-designed concussion education resources and training modules that will be integrated into healthcare protocols. Our specific aims:
Develop accessible, effective and credible, co-designed consumer-friendly education resources;
Facilitate improved understandings of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women’s violence related concussion risk factors and concussion needs;
Develop effective and culturally appropriate frontline workforce violence-related concussion training modules to ensure that staff are fully equipped to provide the necessary support during recovery
Implications for policy and practice:
The educational resources and frontline training modules will strengthen the accessibility, support and recovery of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women who have experienced violence-related concussion and their connection with the services provided in Alice Springs Hospital as well as in remote communities, thereby reinforcing the responses of all services in Central Australia. With senior leadership from national bodies including Australasian College of Emergency Medicine and Synapse Australia, it is envisaged that the outcomes will be implemented in other locations across Australia.
Chief Investigators:
Dr Michelle Fitts
Menzies School of Health Research
Adjunct A/Professor Jennifer Cullen
Synapse Australia
Professor Karen Soldatic
Toronto Metropolitan University
Dr Peter Wirth
Alice Springs Hospital
Professor Alice Theadom
Auckland University of Technology
Ms Elaine Wills
Menzies School of Health Research
A/Professor Kylie Dingwall
Menzies School of Health Research
Associate Investigators:
Dr Stephen Gourley
Central Australian Health Service
Dr Richard Johnson
Central Australian Health Service
Dr Gail Kingston
Townsville Hospital and Health Service
Maree Corbo
Tangentyere Council
A/Professor Courtney Ryder
Flinders University
Project Manager:
Contact info:
Project dates:
April 2025 – April 2029