SupportingChildrenWithBurns.co.uk: Reporting on 3 years of use of a website developed for the psychosocial support of parents of burn-injured children

Abstract

SupportingChildrenWithBurns.co.uk was developed and tested with UK-based parents, burn-care professionals, and members of support organisations. The aim being to create an innovative patient-centred resource, tailored to meet the specific needs of parents/carers of children with burn-injuries, that would be a valuable addition to paediatric burn-care (Heath, 2020). Whilst websites can never replace the services offered by the NHS, or address the challenges they face, it was hoped that the resource could support services and charities in providing the best care to patients/families in line with models of stepped-care. Having a trusted resource that parents can access any time/place, providing advice for self-care, whilst also normalising access to support, and directing parents to different forms of formal/informal support, may mean that more parents find their needs are, or can be, met. Evaluation of the website is important to ensure that it is being accessed and to drive future development. Data regarding public access to, and use of, the website over three years (17.10.2018 to 13.10.2021) has been collated using Google Analytics and analysed using descriptive statistics. Data demonstrates that the website is currently visited an average of 192-times-per-month from users around the world. Information regarding which pages are visited, most often and for longest, suggests that parents’ primary focus is their injured child, not their own psychosocial needs; however, accessing information/advice, and seeking shared experiences from peers, is also sought and valued. Further evaluation of the website’s impact on the emotional wellbeing of parents/carers following a child’s burn-injury would be welcomed.