Real voices, real change: Actioning the lived experience of people with SCI through the Aus-InSCI Translation Project

The National Injury Insurance Agency, Queensland (NIISQ Agency) is proud to support the Aus-InSCI Translation Project, aiming to drive meaningful improvements for people with spinal cord injury (SCI) by translating findings from the Aus-InSCI Community Survey into practice.

The Aus-InSCI Community Survey is an international initiative and the first of its kind in SCI. Completed by 1,579 Australians across 2018 and 2019, it provides important insights into the lived experience of people with SCI. A second round of the survey is currently underway, with plans for ongoing five-yearly data collection to monitor changes over time.

Funded by the NIISQ Agency, the Aus-InSCI Translation Project focuses on using the survey data to inform and drive system-level improvement. The project is hosted by The Hopkins Centre—a collaboration between Metro South Health (Brisbane) and Griffith University—and is led by Professor Tim Geraghty, with primary funding from NIISQ.

An e-Delphi study has recently been completed to confirm the survey findings align with current Queensland priority areas. While analysis is underway, three key areas have emerged as initial priorities: employment, skin health, and bowel management.

The next phase of the project will involve conducting an environmental scan to understand the current landscape across these areas in Queensland and Australia. Following this, expert working groups will be established for each focus area. These groups, with people with lived experience, clinicians, researchers and system stakeholders, will then collaborate to select, refine and implement practical and sustainable system improvements in Queensland and Australia.

This project represents a unique opportunity to align data, lived experience and collaborative expertise to drive meaningful change for people with SCI across Australia with a particular focus on driving positive improvements in Queensland. To stay informed, sign up to the Aus-InSCI Translation Project mailing list. For further information, please contact: Aus-InSCI_TranslationProject@health.qld.gov.au