Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health — Current Policy Issues

1998 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-24
Keyword(s):  
Indigenous People ◽  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Australian Bureau ◽  
Government Policies ◽  
Current Policy ◽  
Policy Issues ◽  
Torres Strait ◽  
Australian Bureau Of Statistics ◽  
Torres Strait Islander Health

This article addresses Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health problems and critically investigates current government policies which are attempting to raise the health standards of these Indigenous people. Particular emphasis will be placed on the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population, which, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics census in 1986, stood at just over 61,000 or 2.4 per cent of the State's population.

The Centre of Clinical Research Excellence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health: An Operational Rationale and Some Reflections on Progress so far

2006 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glenn Giles ◽  
Merridy Malin ◽  
Peter Harvey
Keyword(s):  
Health Services ◽  
Clinical Research ◽  
Indigenous People ◽  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
Aboriginal People ◽  
Aboriginal Health ◽  
Health Council ◽  
Torres Strait ◽  
Research Excellence ◽  
Torres Strait Islander Health

The Centre of Clinical Research Excellence (CCRE) in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health was established in late 2003 through a major National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) grant involving collaboration between the Aboriginal Health Council of South Australia (AHCSA), Flinders University, and Aboriginal Health Services. Our foundation research communities are the Aboriginal communities served by these Aboriginal Health Services in the Spencer Gulf / Eyre Peninsula region. In recent years a number of collaborative research programs involving chronic illness management, self-management and coordinated care have been implemented in these communities and this work is the basis of the initial CCRE activities. Key objectives of the CCRE are to improve the health status of Indigenous people through conducting relevant and meaningful Aboriginal controlled health research, providing formal training for Indigenous health researchers and developing innovative approaches to health care that can be readily translated and applied to support communities. The inclusion, empowerment and engagement of Indigenous people in the process of managing community health represent tangible strategies for achieving more equitable health outcomes for Aboriginal people. This paper outlines the CCRE operational rationale and presents early activities and outcomes across the three strategic areas of CCRE operations: research, education and training, and translation. Some critical reflections are offered on the progress and experience of the CCRE thus far. A common obstacle this CCRE has encountered is that the limited (especially staff) resources available to the Aboriginal Health Services with which we are collaborating make it difficult for them to engage with and progress the projects we are pursuing.

Challenges in Evaluating Aboriginal Healing Programs: Definitions, Diversity and Data

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 4-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilse Blignault ◽  
Megan Williams
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Indigenous People ◽  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
Full Range ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Knowledge Work ◽  
Government Policies ◽  
Cultural Frameworks ◽  
The World ◽  
Torres Strait

Indigenous people around the world have long healing traditions. Contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander healing projects are designed to empower individuals, families and communities; strengthen connections to culture; and reduce the damaging effects of colonisation and government policies such as the forcible removal of children (the Stolen Generations). Evidence on the conditions necessary for healing to occur, and how healing works for different people and in different contexts, is limited. Evaluations that will help identify good practice and document the full range of outcomes are sorely needed. This paper is based largely on experiences and learnings from Stolen Generations projects around Australia funded by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Healing Foundation, and the reflections of experienced scholar-practitioners. It argues that evaluations that are responsive to, and ultimately owned and led by, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities need to be designed and implemented differently to mainstream evaluations. Timeframes, methods, relationships between evaluators and stakeholders, and the identification and measurement of outcomes all need to be carefully considered. Challenges include definitions of healing, diversity of landscapes and programs, and data collection. Qualitative methods that preference and support Indigenous cultural frameworks and ways of creating and sharing knowledge work well. In addition to ensuring culturally sensitive methodologies and tools, working ethically and effectively in the Indigenous healing space means emphasising and enabling safety for participants, workers and organisations.

scholarly journals 1457Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander deaths by suicide in Australia

2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tessa Cutler ◽  
Jane Pirkis ◽  
Sandra Eades ◽  
Alison Gibberd ◽  
Lina Gubhaju
Keyword(s):  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Aboriginal People ◽  
Australian Bureau ◽  
Geographic Factors ◽  
Resident Population ◽  
Similarities And Differences ◽  
Torres Strait ◽  
Australian Bureau Of Statistics ◽  
Age And Sex

Abstract Background The fifth leading cause of death for Aboriginal people in Australia is suicide. These deaths are preventable, and their impact is significant for family and the wider community. This work aims to increase understanding of suicide deaths among Aboriginal people by describing these deaths by a range of factors, and identifying similarities and differences between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal deaths by suicide. Methods Suicide deaths in Australia from 2001 to 2019 will be identified from the National Coronial Information System database. Demographic factors, details of the deaths and geographic factors will be described, and comparisons will be made between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal deaths by suicide. Overall suicide rates by Aboriginal status and age- and sex-standardised rates per 100,000 person-years will be calculated using mid-year estimated resident population and death counts stratified by year, age, sex, and Aboriginal status from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Results The analysis for this work is currently underway and will be finalised prior to the conference. Conclusions The results of this research will provide information about sub-groups of the Aboriginal population and areas of Australia with heightened and reduced risks and rates of suicide. The findings will be interpreted with guidance from the Aboriginal Advisory Committee involved in this work. Findings will be shared with service providers, policymakers, communities, and researchers to enable improved targeting of interventions. Key messages Better understanding of Aboriginal deaths by suicide is critical to inform and improve the much-needed targeting of services and interventions.

scholarly journals Release of the National Scheme’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and Cultural Safety Strategy 2020-2025; the impacts for podiatry in Australia: a commentary

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
James M. Gerrard ◽  
Shirley Godwin ◽  
Vivienne Chuter ◽  
Shannon E. Munteanu ◽  
Matthew West ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Outcomes ◽  
First Nations ◽  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
Collective Responsibility ◽  
Cultural Safety ◽  
Main Body ◽  
Torres Strait ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Torres Strait Islander Health ◽  
Safety Strategy

Abstract Background Developing since colonisation, Australia’s healthcare system has dismissed an ongoing and successful First Nations health paradigm in place for 60,000 years. From Captain James Cook documenting ‘very old’ First Nations Peoples being ‘far more happier than we Europeans’ and Governor Arthur Phillip naming Manly in admiration of the physical health of Gadigal men of the Eora Nation, to anthropologist Daisy Bates’ observation of First Nations Peoples living ‘into their eighties’ and having a higher life expectancy than Europeans; our healthcare system’s shameful cultural safety deficit has allowed for an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child born in Australia today to expect to live 9 years less than a non-Indigenous child. Disproportionately negative healthcare outcomes including early onset diabetes-related foot disease and high rates of lower limb amputation in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples contribute to this gross inequity. Main body In 2020, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Authority released the National Scheme’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and Cultural Safety Strategy 2020–2025 - empowering all registered health practitioners within Australia to provide health care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples that is inclusive, respectful and safe, as judged by the recipient of care. This recently released strategy is critically important to the podiatry profession in Australia. As clinicians, researchers and educators we have a collective responsibility to engage with this strategy of cultural safety. This commentary defines cultural safety for podiatry and outlines the components of the strategy in the context of our profession. Discussion considers the impact of the strategy on podiatry. It identifies mechanisms for podiatrists in all settings to facilitate safer practice, thereby advancing healthcare to produce more equitable outcomes. Conclusion Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples access health services more frequently and have better health outcomes where provision of care is culturally safe. By engaging with the National Scheme’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and Cultural Safety Strategy, all registered podiatrists in Australia can contribute to achieving equity in health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

An appreciative inquiry to identify the continuing education needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners in regional Queensland

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Julie-Anne Martyn ◽  
Ann Woolcock
Keyword(s):  
Continuing Education ◽  
Appreciative Inquiry ◽  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
Quality Care ◽  
Career Aspirations ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Advisory Group ◽  
Health Practitioners ◽  
Torres Strait ◽  
Torres Strait Islander Health

Abstract Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners (Practitioners) have a broad scope of practice and play a pivotal role in addressing health disparities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Practitioners are required to maintain knowledge and skill levels to provide ongoing quality care. However, continuing education (CE) opportunities for Practitioners in regional areas are limited and little is known about the types of CE best suited to Practitioners. This study aimed to identify the CE needs of Practitioners working in a South-East Queensland region in Australia. Participatory action research and appreciative inquiry were combined in this multi-staged study. A local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander advisory group provided cultural guidance for the study design and implementation. Supervisors and Practitioners from two Aboriginal Medical Services consented to participate. In stage one of this study, the supervisors were interviewed and the Practitioners contributed to focus groups. The Practitioners prioritised their CE needs in the second study stage using a questionnaire. The participants identified Practitioner CE needs and group 2 listed their career aspirations and the best practitioners were described as ‘Deadly’. The Deadly practitioner had diverse practice knowledge, skills and attributes. The Practitioners had career aspirations beyond their role and a desire to learn. However, their career advancement was stifled by a lack of CE opportunities. CE in regional areas is limited. Practitioners are disadvantaged by exclusion. Enhancing CE opportunities for Practitioners will positively impact the health of regional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities by building social capital. Therefore, future research on Practitioner roles and CE is needed.

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