Michelle Fitts
Biographic Data
| ID | 1255095 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Michelle Fitts |
| GIVEN NAMES | Michelle |
| FAMILY NAME | Fitts |
| SIGNATURE | FITTS M |
| AFFILIATIONS | Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-2839-5430 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 25 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 18 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 25 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2014 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
From Emergency Care to Community Healing
Emergency departments (EDs) are critical points of contact for treating and responding to the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women who have experienced traumatic brain injury (TBI) caused by violence. This study aimed to explore how care, support, and treatment can be improved for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women who have experienced TBI caused by violence by drawing on the perspectives of ED staff in a regional hospita…
Acceptability and quality of the ‘Grog Survey App’ brief intervention
“It’s been like a spiritual awakening for me”
Introduction A majority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in correctional centers report prior experience of traumatic brain injury (TBI) from assault. TBI education in settings outside correctional centers, such as health settings, is shown to help people living with TBI implement strategies for symptom management. The aim of this study was to understand and identify what impacts TBI education would have for Aboriginal and Torres St…
Listening to the Voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women in Regional and Remote Australia About Traumatic Brain Injury From Family Violence
INTRODUCTION: Indigenous women experience high rates of family violence-related head injuries. At present, lived experience accounts from Indigenous women are absent, which results in incomplete understandings and inadequate responses that have detrimental impacts on them and their families. The aim of this study was to gain insight into Indigenous women's personal and family perspectives regarding violence-related traumatic brain injury (TBI), i…
Attitudes to Short-Term Staffing and Workforce Priorities of Community Users of Remote Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Services
In recent years, there has been an increasing trend of short-term staffing in remote health services, including Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs). This paper explores the perceptions of clinic users' experiences at their local clinic and how short-term staffing impacts the quality of service, acceptability, cultural safety, and continuity of care in ACCHSs in remote communities. Using purposeful and convenience sampling, co…
The Emergency Department Response to Indigenous Women Experiencing Traumatic Brain Injury from Family Violence
Global healthcare systems and violence against women and girls
Temporalities of emergency
Globally, traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been recognised as a serious health issue not only because of the immediate impacts at the time the injury occurs but even more so due to the longstanding impacts. Even though TBI is a globally recognised condition, the research is disproportionately focused on its incidence in, and immediate and long-term effects on men. A growing body of research suggests that generally, women who experience family vio…
Understanding the Lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women with Traumatic Brain Injury from Family Violence in Australia
Globally, there is growing recognition of the connection between violence and head injuries. At present, little qualitative research exists around how surviving this experience impacts everyday life for women, particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. This project aims to explore the nature and context of these women's lives including living with the injury and to identify their needs and priorities during recovery. This 3-year ex…
Barriers Preventing Indigenous Women with Violence-related Head Injuries from Accessing Services in Australia
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a serious yet commonly under-recognised injury sustained by women as a direct outcome of family violence. Although healthcare and support services are critical, many women do not access support services following this injury. At present, there are few relevant qualitative studies that have elevated the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. This article describes the barriers that prevent Aboriginal…
Using research feedback loops to implement a disability case study with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and service providers in regional and remote Australia
While there is a well-developed body of literature in the health field that describes processes to implement research, there is a dearth of similar literature in the disability field of research involving complex conditions. Moreover, the development of meaningful and sustainable knowledge translation is now a standard component of the research process. Knowledge users, including community members, service providers, and policy makers now call fo…
Patterns of drinking in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as self‐reported on the Grog Survey App
Prevalence and correlates of alcohol dependence in an Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representative sample
Drink driving among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians
The Australian Government will set the direction for addressing road safety over the next decade with its 2021–2030 National Road Safety Strategy. This road map will detail objectives and goals agreed upon by all Australian states and territories. Similar to previous national strategies, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) Australians are a high priority population. Indigenous Australians are over‐represented in serious injury and …
I Don’t Think It’s on Anyone’s Radar”
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women experience high rates of traumatic brain injury (TBI) as a result of violence. While healthcare access is critical for women who have experienced a TBI as it can support pre-screening, comprehensive diagnostic assessment, and referral pathways, little is known about the barriers for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in remote areas to access healthcare. To address this gap, this study focuses …
Who’s caring for whom? Disabled Indigenous carers experiences of Australia’s infrastructures of social protection
Almost a quarter (23.9%) of Indigenous Australians report living with a disability. While most of them are cared for at home by female family members, there is limited understanding and insight into their lives. There is even less known about Indigenous primary carers who often also live with a disability and/or serious health condition requiring ongoing medical healthcare and support. This paper explicitly explores Indigenous disabled carer expe…
Sorting yourself out of the system
The Disability Support Pension (DSP), the primary social security payment for Australians living with disability, has undergone considerable reform since the early 2000s. Limited research has examined the impact of such reforms on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) Australians living with disability. This article pays particular attention to the experiences of Indigenous Australians applying for the DSP, with a strong focus on ref…
Why Extended Time on Newstart is Unsuitable for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians Living with a Disability
Many Australians living with a disability find themselves recipients of Newstart Allowance when applying for the Disability Support Pension (DSP). Newstart Allowance is designed as a short-term payment for people looking for work, with a lower fortnightly payment and limited medical and transport subsidies compared to the DSP. This paper describes the financial challenges of living with a disability while on Newstart Allowance. With a focus on th…
A longitudinal observation study assessing changes in indicators of serious injury and violence with alcohol controls in four remote indigenous Australian communities in far north Queensland (2000–201…
Early successes of these controversial alcohol restrictions are jeopardised. Indicators of violence and injury appear to be rising once more in some AMP communities. Importantly, rates have not generally exceeded the highest levels seen in Phase 1. Fresh policy action is required with rigorous monitoring to prevent erosion of initial important successes
Have Alcohol Management Plans Reduced Violence Against Women in Cape York, Australia
In 2002/2003, the Queensland Government released a decision that Alcohol Management Plans (AMPs) were to be introduced to most Indigenous communities in Cape York, Australia, in an effort to address violence generally and specifically violence against women and children. By 2008, increased restrictions brought total prohibition in some communities and tightened restrictions in others. This project provides a pre-/postprohibition comparison and an…
Alcohol management plans in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) Australian communities in Queensland
The present Government review provides an opportunity to reinforce 'favourable' outcomes while targeting: illicit alcohol, treatment and diversion services and reconciliation of criminalization and discrimination issues
Unintended impacts of alcohol restrictions on alcohol and other drug use in Indigenous communities in Queensland (Australia)
Contrary to what was intended, Queensland's alcohol restrictions in Indigenous communities were viewed by community residents as not significantly reducing the availability and use of alcohol. Furthermore, this was compounded by perceived increases in binge drinking and cannabis use; also unintended. There is a need to strengthen resolve at all levels to reduce the supply of illicit alcohol in restricted areas
Alcohol management plans in Indigenous communities in Queensland (Australia) may have unintended implications for the care of children
Indigenous children in Australia are more likely than non-Indigenous children to be in contact with the child safety system. A large number of Queensland’s Indigenous population live in remote and isolated communities in north Queensland where the state government's Alcohol Management Plans (AMPs) are in effect. In these communities it is an offence to have in one’s possession more than the regulated amount and type of alcohol. A breach of these …
Alcohol control policies in Indigenous communities
Study Protocol - Alcohol Management Plans (AMPs) in remote indigenous communities in Queensland
This evaluation will report on the impacts of the original aims for AMPs, what impact they have had on Indigenous residents and service providers. A central outcome will be the establishment of relevant databases describing the parameters of the changes seen. This will permit comprehensive and rigorous surveillance systems to be put in place and provided to communities empowering them with the best credible evidence to judge future policy and pro…
Using research feedback loops to implement a disability case study with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and service providers in regional and remote Australia
While there is a well-developed body of literature in the health field that describes processes to implement research, there is a dearth of similar literature in the disability field of research involving complex conditions. Moreover, the development of meaningful and sustainable knowledge translation is now a standard component of the research process. Knowledge users, including community members, service providers, and policy makers now call fo…
Sorting yourself out of the system
The Disability Support Pension (DSP), the primary social security payment for Australians living with disability, has undergone considerable reform since the early 2000s. Limited research has examined the impact of such reforms on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) Australians living with disability. This article pays particular attention to the experiences of Indigenous Australians applying for the DSP, with a strong focus on ref…
Who’s caring for whom? Disabled Indigenous carers experiences of Australia’s infrastructures of social protection
Almost a quarter (23.9%) of Indigenous Australians report living with a disability. While most of them are cared for at home by female family members, there is limited understanding and insight into their lives. There is even less known about Indigenous primary carers who often also live with a disability and/or serious health condition requiring ongoing medical healthcare and support. This paper explicitly explores Indigenous disabled carer expe…
The Emergency Department Response to Indigenous Women Experiencing Traumatic Brain Injury from Family Violence
Temporalities of emergency
Globally, traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been recognised as a serious health issue not only because of the immediate impacts at the time the injury occurs but even more so due to the longstanding impacts. Even though TBI is a globally recognised condition, the research is disproportionately focused on its incidence in, and immediate and long-term effects on men. A growing body of research suggests that generally, women who experience family vio…
Why Extended Time on Newstart is Unsuitable for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians Living with a Disability
Many Australians living with a disability find themselves recipients of Newstart Allowance when applying for the Disability Support Pension (DSP). Newstart Allowance is designed as a short-term payment for people looking for work, with a lower fortnightly payment and limited medical and transport subsidies compared to the DSP. This paper describes the financial challenges of living with a disability while on Newstart Allowance. With a focus on th…
Study Protocol - Alcohol Management Plans (AMPs) in remote indigenous communities in Queensland
This evaluation will report on the impacts of the original aims for AMPs, what impact they have had on Indigenous residents and service providers. A central outcome will be the establishment of relevant databases describing the parameters of the changes seen. This will permit comprehensive and rigorous surveillance systems to be put in place and provided to communities empowering them with the best credible evidence to judge future policy and pro…
Alcohol management plans in Indigenous communities in Queensland (Australia) may have unintended implications for the care of children
Indigenous children in Australia are more likely than non-Indigenous children to be in contact with the child safety system. A large number of Queensland’s Indigenous population live in remote and isolated communities in north Queensland where the state government's Alcohol Management Plans (AMPs) are in effect. In these communities it is an offence to have in one’s possession more than the regulated amount and type of alcohol. A breach of these …
Alcohol control policies in Indigenous communities
Alcohol management plans in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) Australian communities in Queensland
The present Government review provides an opportunity to reinforce 'favourable' outcomes while targeting: illicit alcohol, treatment and diversion services and reconciliation of criminalization and discrimination issues
Unintended impacts of alcohol restrictions on alcohol and other drug use in Indigenous communities in Queensland (Australia)
Contrary to what was intended, Queensland's alcohol restrictions in Indigenous communities were viewed by community residents as not significantly reducing the availability and use of alcohol. Furthermore, this was compounded by perceived increases in binge drinking and cannabis use; also unintended. There is a need to strengthen resolve at all levels to reduce the supply of illicit alcohol in restricted areas
A longitudinal observation study assessing changes in indicators of serious injury and violence with alcohol controls in four remote indigenous Australian communities in far north Queensland (2000–201…
Early successes of these controversial alcohol restrictions are jeopardised. Indicators of violence and injury appear to be rising once more in some AMP communities. Importantly, rates have not generally exceeded the highest levels seen in Phase 1. Fresh policy action is required with rigorous monitoring to prevent erosion of initial important successes
Have Alcohol Management Plans Reduced Violence Against Women in Cape York, Australia
In 2002/2003, the Queensland Government released a decision that Alcohol Management Plans (AMPs) were to be introduced to most Indigenous communities in Cape York, Australia, in an effort to address violence generally and specifically violence against women and children. By 2008, increased restrictions brought total prohibition in some communities and tightened restrictions in others. This project provides a pre-/postprohibition comparison and an…
Sorting yourself out of the system
The Disability Support Pension (DSP), the primary social security payment for Australians living with disability, has undergone considerable reform since the early 2000s. Limited research has examined the impact of such reforms on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) Australians living with disability. This article pays particular attention to the experiences of Indigenous Australians applying for the DSP, with a strong focus on ref…
Why Extended Time on Newstart is Unsuitable for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians Living with a Disability
Many Australians living with a disability find themselves recipients of Newstart Allowance when applying for the Disability Support Pension (DSP). Newstart Allowance is designed as a short-term payment for people looking for work, with a lower fortnightly payment and limited medical and transport subsidies compared to the DSP. This paper describes the financial challenges of living with a disability while on Newstart Allowance. With a focus on th…
Who’s caring for whom? Disabled Indigenous carers experiences of Australia’s infrastructures of social protection
Almost a quarter (23.9%) of Indigenous Australians report living with a disability. While most of them are cared for at home by female family members, there is limited understanding and insight into their lives. There is even less known about Indigenous primary carers who often also live with a disability and/or serious health condition requiring ongoing medical healthcare and support. This paper explicitly explores Indigenous disabled carer expe…
Patterns of drinking in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as self‐reported on the Grog Survey App
Prevalence and correlates of alcohol dependence in an Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representative sample
Drink driving among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians
The Australian Government will set the direction for addressing road safety over the next decade with its 2021–2030 National Road Safety Strategy. This road map will detail objectives and goals agreed upon by all Australian states and territories. Similar to previous national strategies, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) Australians are a high priority population. Indigenous Australians are over‐represented in serious injury and …
I Don’t Think It’s on Anyone’s Radar”
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women experience high rates of traumatic brain injury (TBI) as a result of violence. While healthcare access is critical for women who have experienced a TBI as it can support pre-screening, comprehensive diagnostic assessment, and referral pathways, little is known about the barriers for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in remote areas to access healthcare. To address this gap, this study focuses …
Understanding the Lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women with Traumatic Brain Injury from Family Violence in Australia
Globally, there is growing recognition of the connection between violence and head injuries. At present, little qualitative research exists around how surviving this experience impacts everyday life for women, particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. This project aims to explore the nature and context of these women's lives including living with the injury and to identify their needs and priorities during recovery. This 3-year ex…
Barriers Preventing Indigenous Women with Violence-related Head Injuries from Accessing Services in Australia
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a serious yet commonly under-recognised injury sustained by women as a direct outcome of family violence. Although healthcare and support services are critical, many women do not access support services following this injury. At present, there are few relevant qualitative studies that have elevated the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. This article describes the barriers that prevent Aboriginal…
Using research feedback loops to implement a disability case study with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and service providers in regional and remote Australia
While there is a well-developed body of literature in the health field that describes processes to implement research, there is a dearth of similar literature in the disability field of research involving complex conditions. Moreover, the development of meaningful and sustainable knowledge translation is now a standard component of the research process. Knowledge users, including community members, service providers, and policy makers now call fo…
“It’s been like a spiritual awakening for me”
Introduction A majority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in correctional centers report prior experience of traumatic brain injury (TBI) from assault. TBI education in settings outside correctional centers, such as health settings, is shown to help people living with TBI implement strategies for symptom management. The aim of this study was to understand and identify what impacts TBI education would have for Aboriginal and Torres St…
Listening to the Voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women in Regional and Remote Australia About Traumatic Brain Injury From Family Violence
INTRODUCTION: Indigenous women experience high rates of family violence-related head injuries. At present, lived experience accounts from Indigenous women are absent, which results in incomplete understandings and inadequate responses that have detrimental impacts on them and their families. The aim of this study was to gain insight into Indigenous women's personal and family perspectives regarding violence-related traumatic brain injury (TBI), i…
Attitudes to Short-Term Staffing and Workforce Priorities of Community Users of Remote Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Services
In recent years, there has been an increasing trend of short-term staffing in remote health services, including Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs). This paper explores the perceptions of clinic users' experiences at their local clinic and how short-term staffing impacts the quality of service, acceptability, cultural safety, and continuity of care in ACCHSs in remote communities. Using purposeful and convenience sampling, co…
The Emergency Department Response to Indigenous Women Experiencing Traumatic Brain Injury from Family Violence
Global healthcare systems and violence against women and girls
Temporalities of emergency
Globally, traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been recognised as a serious health issue not only because of the immediate impacts at the time the injury occurs but even more so due to the longstanding impacts. Even though TBI is a globally recognised condition, the research is disproportionately focused on its incidence in, and immediate and long-term effects on men. A growing body of research suggests that generally, women who experience family vio…
Acceptability and quality of the ‘Grog Survey App’ brief intervention
From Emergency Care to Community Healing
Emergency departments (EDs) are critical points of contact for treating and responding to the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women who have experienced traumatic brain injury (TBI) caused by violence. This study aimed to explore how care, support, and treatment can be improved for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women who have experienced TBI caused by violence by drawing on the perspectives of ED staff in a regional hospita…
Medicine (20 works) · Indigenous (19 works) · Sociology (15 works) · Political science (13 works) · Nursing (12 works) · Poison control (11 works) · Suicide prevention (11 works) · Environmental health (9 works) · Business (8 works) · Qualitative research (8 works)