‘Ember to Empower’: Co-designing a one-stop burn recovery toolkit for burn survivors
Synopsis
Why the research project is important
Getting burned can be a challenging experience, and recovery continues long after leaving hospital. Many children, young people, adults, and their families often struggle with how they feel, look, and connect with others.
That’s why burn survivors are helping create Ember to Empower, a toolkit designed to support everyday life after a burn injury. It will bring together information in one place to give burn survivors, and the people who care about them, the support they need as they adjust to life after a burn. The project is co-led by people who have experienced burns, and it’s supported by the Australian and New Zealand Burn Association.
Children, young people, adults, and their families with lived experience are helping shape the toolkit every step of the way, ensuring it is authentic, useful, and made for people who have been through a burn injury.
What the research seeks to do
We want people affected by burn injuries to get the support and information they need, no matter where they live in Australia. Right now, finding help after leaving the hospital can be difficult. This study is all about changing that.
We’re working in three stages to make sure support is practical and easy to access:
- Listening and Learning
We’re talking to burn survivors and their families to understand what support and information is missing.
- Creating Together
We’re co-designing the Ember to Empower toolkit with survivors, families and communities so it reflects real-life needs.
- Making It Work
We’re exploring the best ways to share the toolkit and planning how to measure its impact.
What are the research outcomes/ impact
The Ember to Empower toolkit will give burn survivors and their families trusted, accessible resources to support recovery—wherever they live.
Co-designed with people who have lived experience, it will be available anytime, empowering survivors to take control of their recovery journey. Likely features will include personal stories and lived experiences, as well as links to national burn support groups and burn camp programs.
Who Will Benefit?
Priority will be given to people with disabilities and those living in rural and regional areas.
The project aims to ensure burn survivors across Australia have equal access to the support they need.
Funding Body
The project has been funded by the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) under the Survivorship Scheme (#2040537).
Further Details
If you would like to participate in this research or need further information, please contact ember2empower@qut.edu.au.
IMAGES
Banner (L-R): Dr Angela Melder, Jenna English, Dale Trevor, Dr Andrea Mc Kittrick, A/Prof Zephanie Tyack, Dr Alex De Young, Dr Kate Young.
Middle (L-R): Dr Kate Young, Dr Angela Melder, Dale Trevor, Charlotte Brown, A/Prof Zephanie Tyack, Jenna English.
