Injuries not only cause physical harm to children but can also present psychosocial challenges for paediatric patients and their families.
Professor Bronwyn Griffin from Griffith University’s School of Nursing and Midwifery has led the co-design, pilot implementation, and evaluation of Australia’s first electronic post-injury psychosocial screening tool for carers of paediatric trauma patients, recently trialled at the Queensland Children’s Hospital (QCH).
“Often we’ll see children admitted after incidents such as a low-speed vehicle roll over, dog bite, burns, or even a playground injury,” Professor Griffith said.
“While we treat the physical injury, post-traumatic stress and emotional distress are common and can significantly impact a child’s quality of life for months, even years, after the event.
“Early identification and tailored support improve recovery outcomes, reinforcing the need for a validated, user-friendly screening tool.”
The electronic screening tool, co-designed with carers and health professionals, assesses a child’s emotional wellbeing across key domains including anger and irritability, anxiety, mood, sleep disturbance, pain, physical function, and peer relationships.
Piloted at QCH, the tool was introduced to families during hospital admission, with carers able to opt in via a QR Code or text reminders.
Participants then completed brief electronic surveys at follow-up intervals, automatically receiving evidence based/targeted psychosocial resources, crisis contacts, and GP referral information.
Professor Griffin said carers valued the accessibility and responsiveness of the system.
“They appreciated staying connected with the hospital and having reassurance about how their child was coping after discharge,” she said.
“The tool enhances visibility of children’s psychosocial recovery needs and helps hospitals direct trauma family support resources where they’re needed most.”
The pilot findings demonstrated digital psychosocial screening was both feasible and acceptable to families, paving the way for wider implementation across paediatric trauma services.
Professor Griffin said the research team hoped to adapt and share the tool with other health services locally in Queensland and more broadly across Australia which cared for children who sustained traumatic injuries, ensuring early emotional support becomes a routine part of recovery care.
The codesign and pilot implementation study results are both published in the Journal of Pediatric Nursing.
Featured
Bronwyn Griffin
Author
