Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled health services provide excellent and cost effective care for their communities. However, the cultural safety that is found in such services is not always seen in provision of care in tertiary settings. Burns can be traumatic injuries that lead to ongoing disability, and epidemiological studies have shown that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children experience more burns than other children.

In 2017, a study led by the UNSW Centre for Big Data Research in Health, supported by researchers at The George Institute for Global Health found that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are less likely to be treated in a hospital with a paediatric burns unit, despite needing more intensive treatment and a longer stay. 

However, no studies have sought to understand why this is the case, or to hear directly from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families about their experiences of burn related health care.  

The Coolamon study explores the care of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children with burns through a cohort study in Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and the Northern Territory. The researchers followed children for two years post burn to understand the impact and cost of burns, to understand patient experience, and to find better ways of caring for children with burns.