PUBH6007: Reduction Of burn Injury Hospitalisations In Regional and Remote NSW – Program Design,

Internal Code: MAS5665

Program Design Assignment:

Hospitalisation rates due to injuries of Australians living in outer regional and remote parts of NSW are higher than in urban populations (Mitchell and Chong, 2010). Of these injuries, burns contribute to twice as many hospital admissions in both males and females in these communities compared to urban areas (Health Stats NSW, 2016; Mitchell and Chong, 2010). Burn injuries come at a large cost
to the well being of the victim, the families and the healthcare system depending on the burn treatment and ongoing care required. This paper will present for consideration a needs assessment for burn prevention and the crucial initial actions in case of burns focusing on the outer and remote regions of NSW. The characteristics of this priority population will be stated and then a discussion will follow on the approach and method that may best suite a needs assessment for this public health concern. A SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis (Humphrey, 2005) will be presented to direct potential programs for this issue and finally a determination of
priorities and potential challenges for the needs assessment will be reviewed. Injury due to fire, burns and scalds is the sixth most common cause of injury requiring hospitalisation across Australia (Australian Government Department of Health, 2012). While such injuries occur in
regional NSW almost 17 times more often among non‐Aboriginal males than Aboriginal males and slightly more for non‐Aboriginal females compared to Aboriginal females (NSW Health, 2010), burns as a cause of injury is more prevalent in the Aboriginal population (2.6%) than in the non‐Aboriginal population (1.4%) (NSW Health, 2010), particularly to Aboriginal children aged between 0 and 9 years of age (Boufous, Ivers, Senserrick, Martiniuk and Clapham, 2010). The most common causes of burn injuries in these populations is from exposure to hot food, fluids and vapours (Boufous, et al, 2010). Such injuries are more prevalent in the most socioeconomically disadvantaged communities
(Health Stats NSW, 2016). Possible factors contributing to these statistics include different environmental conditions and the increase likelihood of rural residents being exposed to potential fire risks (Mitchell and Chong, 2010).

Questions:

1. Understand the principles of needs assessment, different types of community needs and analysis leading to prioritisation of health needs
2. Construct a clear program plan using goals, objectives, strategies and indicators in preparation for implementation and evaluation