"Healing Right Way" for Aboriginal Australians with brain injury

The WA Country Health Service (WACHS) has partnered with Edith Cowan University (ECU) to improve rehabilitation for Aboriginal Australians following stroke or traumatic brain injury.

The ‘Healing Right Way’ project, funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council aims to improve quality of life for Aboriginal Australians after stroke and traumatic brain injury.

The study involves cultural security training at some hospital sites in country WA and a new Aboriginal Brain Injury Coordinator service. Aboriginal Brain Injury Coordinators support survivors and their families for the first six months after injury. 

WACHS provides vital in-kind support to the project including hosting and assisting medical, nursing and allied health staff to attend training sessions on providing culturally secure care.

A staff member at each participating WACHS hospital is responsible for identifying and approaching potential patients for the study and facilitating follow ups.

WACHS Research Manager Justin Manuel said through this study, rural staff can gain experience in research, while contributing to improved services for brain injury survivors in the country.

“Our staff have received training in the use of the Functional Independence Measure which is a clinical tool used across the nation to assess everyday physical, psychological and social functioning of people with disabilities, expanding its use across WACHS sites,” Mr Manuel said.

“Of the 107 study participants to date, we’re proud that 79 are from rural and remote WA and 22 of these patients were recruited by WACHS hospitals.”

“The WACHS Aboriginal Liaison teams have been invaluable in assisting with recruitment, follow up of patients and taking part in cultural security workshops.”

Through training in the provision of services via telehealth and the use of videoconferencing platforms to support remote delivery of care, the WACHS TeleStroke team is assisting ECU researchers to communicate with Aboriginal Brain Injury Coordinators and study participants.

The Healing Right Way project is ongoing until early 2022.