Connecting Through Shared Experiences: Introducing a New Resource for People Affected by Burn Injuries

In May this year, a brand-new online resource for people affected by burn injuries went live.

The newly launched resource, created in collaboration between Christia Huntington, a PhD student at the Centre for Appearance Research, and Healthtalk.org, is a powerful tool for parents of children with burn injuries. It presents real-life experiences of 36 people affected by burns and aims to provide support based on shared experience.

We spoke to Christia Huntington to find out more about the new resource.

Q. What is Healthtalk?

A. Healthtalk is an online website where real-life experiences of lots of different health conditions are shared in video, audio, and text formats. There are lots of different health conditions featured on the website, including: alopecia, cancer, giving up smoking, diabetes, and epilepsy. However, there was nothing on there about burn injuries.

Q. What is the new burn injuries resource on Healthtalk.org?

A. The new resource is a section on the Healthtalk.org site which aims to provide people affected by burn injuries (including parents) a unique platform to learn from the shared experiences of others. You can watch videos, listen to audio clips, and read text transcripts to learn about how other people have experienced having a burn or being the parent of a child with a burn.

Q. What can parents expect to find on the site?

A. The resource serves as a valuable tool for parents, offering a sense of community and connection through shared experiences. Reading personal stories from others who have gone through similar challenges can be both informative and comforting, helping parents feel less alone in their own journeys.

Q. How was the site made?

A. To create this valuable resource, I conducted in-depth interviews with 36 individuals who have been affected by burn injuries. In total, there was over 80 hours of interview footage. These interviews resulted in over 180 interview clips being uploaded onto the site which offer personal insights into the challenges, coping mechanisms, and emotional support avenues surrounding burn injuries.

Q. Why is feedback important and how can parents let you know what they think of the site?

A. Feedback is vital to ensure that the resource remains relevant, helpful, and user-friendly. By participating in the evaluation survey, parents have the opportunity to share their thoughts and suggestions and let me know if the site has helped them in any way. To provide your input, please visit the evaluation survey link at https://uwe.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2u81WX44Tu4Msp8

Q. In conclusion, what do you want parents to take away from this new resource?

A. I want parents to know that they are not alone in their journey. The new resource created in collaboration with Healthtalk.org offers a platform where they can learn from the shared experiences of others and gain valuable insights into burn injuries. We encourage parents to explore the website, read the personal stories, and use the new site as a talking point when speaking about burn injuries in the future.

Christia Huntington is a PhD student at the Centre for Appearance Research, at the University of the West of England, in Bristol. Her PhD explores online interventions for people affected by burn injuries and is a partnership PhD funded by the VTCT Foundation and UWE.