VTCheck

Ellis and Hume, retired and current academics at the Australian National University specialise in an understanding of ‘vicarious trauma’ as experienced by first responders and other professionals working in emergency services and health. Inky Smudge was approached to create a series of interactive assessments that would allow individuals, at risk of this potentially dangerous side-effect of their work, to regularly assess the level of stress existing in their lives over the medium to long term. Mechanisms had to be created that allowed for rapid assessment as well as more in-depth examination over time so that users could see how their condition was progressing over a period of time.

The aim of the program was to encourage large emergency service organisations to monitor levels of vicarious trauma within their ranks to identify and evolving pockets of concern. As well as a sophisticated account-based registration process and assessment mechanism Inky Smudge needed to maintain safe levels of security on information entered into the system by its participants.