Emergency Department Presentations of Victorian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People

2008 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 15-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadia Costa ◽  
Mary Sullivan ◽  
Rae Walker ◽  
Kerin M Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
Aboriginal People ◽  
Torres Strait Islander People ◽  
Indigenous Status ◽  
Routinely Collected Data ◽  
Torres Strait ◽  
Minimum Dataset ◽  
Respiratory Conditions

This paper explains how routinely collected data can be used to examine the emergency department attendances of Victorian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The data reported in the Victorian Emergency Minimum Dataset (VEMD) for the 2006/2007 financial year were analysed. The presentations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Aboriginal people were compared in terms of age, gender, hospital location (metropolitan and rural) and presenting condition. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were found to attend the emergency department 1.8 times more often than non-Aboriginal people. While the emergency department presentation rates of metropolitan Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Aboriginal people were similar, rural Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people presented to the emergency department 2.3 times more often than non-Aboriginal people. The injuries or poisonings, respiratory conditions and mental disorders presentation rates of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Aboriginal population were compared. No previous studies have assessed the accuracy of the Indigenous status and diagnosis fields in the VEMD; therefore the quality of this data is unknown.

scholarly journals Accessibility and quality of care received in emergency departments by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

2008 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 648 ◽  
Author(s):  
David P Thomas ◽  
Ian P Anderson ◽  
Margaret A Kelaher
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Indigenous People ◽  
Emergency Departments ◽  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
Torres Strait Islander People ◽  
Similar Time ◽  
Emergency Department Care ◽  
Torres Strait

Objectives: To examine the accessibility and quality of care received in emergency departments by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people compared with other Australians. Methods: We examined 2004?05 data from the National Non-admitted Patient Emergency Department Care database from the Northern Territory and Western Australia, the only jurisdictions where Indigenous identification in the database was considered acceptable. Results: In the NT, Indigenous people were 1.7 times as likely to present to an emergency department as non-Indigenous people. Indigenous patients in the NT and WA do not appear to use EDs for ?primary care? problems more than non- Indigenous patients. More NT Indigenous patients walked out before being seen or before their treatment was completed. However, Indigenous patients generally waited a similar time, and often slightly shorter, to be seen as similar non-Indigenous patients in WA and the NT. Conclusions: We recommend the regular monitoring of equity in the accessibility and quality of ED care for Indigenous people compared with other Australians. Indigenous identification in the database needs to improve so monitoring of ED performance can extend beyond WA and the NT.

Considering the Impact of Social Media on Contemporary Improvement of Australian Aboriginal Health: Scoping Review (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Troy Walker ◽  
Claire Palermo ◽  
Karen Klassen
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
Aboriginal People ◽  
Aboriginal Health ◽  
Health Messages ◽  
Community Control ◽  
Torres Strait Islander People ◽  
Australian Aboriginal ◽  
Torres Strait

BACKGROUND Social media may have a significant role in influencing the present and future health implications among Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, yet there has been no review of the role of social media in improving health. OBJECTIVE This study aims to examine the extent of health initiatives using social media that aimed to improve the health of Australian Aboriginal communities. METHODS A scoping review was conducted by systematically searching databases CINAHL Plus; PubMed; Scopus; Web of Science, and Ovid MEDLINE in June 2017 using the terms and their synonyms “Aboriginal” and “Social media.” In addition, reference lists of included studies and the Indigenous HealthInfonet gray literature were searched. Key information about the social media intervention and its impacts on health were extracted and data synthesized using narrative summaries. RESULTS Five papers met inclusion criteria. All included studies were published in the past 5 years and involved urban, rural, and remote Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people aged 12-60 years. No studies reported objective impacts on health. Three papers found that social media provided greater space for sharing health messages in a 2-way exchange. The negative portrayal of Aboriginal people and negative health impacts of social media were described in 2 papers. CONCLUSIONS Social media may be a useful strategy to provide health messages and sharing of content among Aboriginal people, but objective impacts on health remain unknown. More research is necessary on social media as a way to connect, communicate, and improve Aboriginal health with particular emphasis on community control, self-empowerment, and decolonization.

scholarly journals In the pursuit of equity: COVID-19, data and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia

2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-45
Author(s):  
Kalinda Griffiths ◽  
Ian Ring ◽  
Richard Madden ◽  
Lisa Jackson Pulver
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Quality Of Data ◽  
Success Story ◽  
Torres Strait Islander People ◽  
Pandemic Planning ◽  
The Future ◽  
Torres Strait

Since March 2020 in Australia, there has been decisive national, and state and territory policy as well as community led action involving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as information about COVID-19 arose. This has resulted in, what could only be framed as a success story in self-determination. However, there continues to be issues with the quality of data used for the surveillance and reporting of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people during the pandemic. This article discusses some of the important events in pandemic planning regarding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and how this relates to surveillance and monitoring in the emerging and ongoing threat of COVID-19 within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The authors also identify some of the data considerations required in the future to monitor and address public health.

scholarly journals What Matters 2 Adults: a study protocol to develop a new preference-based wellbeing measure with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults (WM2Adults)

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsten Howard ◽  
Kate Anderson ◽  
Joan Cunningham ◽  
Alan Cass ◽  
Julie Ratcliffe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
Torres Strait Islander People ◽  
Validity Testing ◽  
Conditional Logit ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Best Worst Scaling ◽  
Descriptive System ◽  
Torres Strait ◽  
Candidate Item

Abstract Background Understandings of health and wellbeing are culturally bound. Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people perceive wellbeing and quality of life (QOL) differently from the Western biomedical models of health underpinning existing QOL instruments. Any instrument to measure the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be culturally appropriate and safe, include relevant dimensions, and be informed by their own values and preferences. Existing QOL instruments do not meet these standards. This study will generate a new preference-based wellbeing measure, WM2Adults, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults, underpinned by their values and preferences. Methods A mixed methods approach will be used; we will employ decolonising methodologies, privilege Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices and perspectives, and adopt a strengths-based approach rather than a deficit lens. Yarning Circles will be conducted with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across Australia. A candidate item pool will be developed from these data, on which psychometric analysis and validity testing will be undertaken to develop a descriptive system. Following finalisation of the descriptive system, wellbeing states will be valued using a quantitative preference-based approach (best-worst scaling) with a diverse sample of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults (n = 1000). A multinomial (conditional) logit framework will be used to analyse responses and generate a scoring algorithm for the new preference-based WM2Adults measure. Discussion The new wellbeing measure will have wide applicability in assessing the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of new programs and services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Results will be disseminated through journals, conferences and policy forums, and will be shared with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, organisations and research participants.

Finding Space and Place: Using Narrative and Imagery to Support Successful Outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People in Enabling Programs

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clair Andersen ◽  
Ann Edwards ◽  
Brigette Wolfe
Keyword(s):  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
Aboriginal People ◽  
Word Meaning ◽  
Space And Place ◽  
Torres Strait Islander People ◽  
Entry Level ◽  
Whole Person ◽  
Low Expectations ◽  
Torres Strait ◽  
The University

‘Riawunna’ is an Aboriginal word meaning ‘a place of learning’ for Aboriginal people, from entry level to tertiary studies, at the University of Tasmania (UTAS) and operates on Hobart, Launceston and Burnie campuses. The Riawunna Centre was established to encourage Aboriginal people to aspire to higher levels of education, and to support them to be successful in their chosen course of study. One strategy developed to support the participation, retention and success of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is the Murina program. During the four year period between 2010 and 2013 every student at UTAS who graduated from the Murina program and chosen to enrol in undergraduate studies has been successful in completing their courses. One of the tools used to achieve this result is the strong use of narrative and images in our teaching. This whole-person approach to teaching resonates culturally with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, but is also applicable to any student of any culture, especially those who come to university tentatively and with low expectations of what they can achieve.

scholarly journals Participatory community singing program to enhance quality of life and social and emotional well-being in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians with chronic diseases

2013 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Sun ◽  
Nicholas Buys
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Chronic Diseases ◽  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Torres Strait Islander People ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
Torres Strait ◽  
Community Singing

AbstractThe objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a 12-month community singing program on quality of life (QoL) using survey methods.We prospectively collected data on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with chronic diseases involved in a participatory community singing program. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with a chronic disease and an average age of 51 years (range, 18–85 years) self-selected to participate in the singing group (n=45), which included a weekly singing rehearsal and a monthly performance. There were 27 people in the control group. We compared the intervention and control groups by evaluating the QoL, social and emotional well-being, health behaviors, social isolation, and loneliness at a baseline and at 12 months.At 12 months, those who participated in the singing program showed a significant increase in QoL, reduced stress, and a significant reduction in social isolation and loneliness compared with patients in the control group.The community singing program may enhance social and emotional well-being and QoL in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with chronic diseases, and the singing program is a viable health promotion intervention program for this population.

Student Teacher Perspectives: Teacher Attitudes Towards Aboriginal Children

1994 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 19-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Eibeck
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Attitudes ◽  
Student Teacher ◽  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
Aboriginal People ◽  
Teaching Profession ◽  
Teacher Perspectives ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Torres Strait Islander People ◽  
Torres Strait ◽  
Aboriginal Children

Given the opportunity to write my views about education to this journal, I have chosen a topic that is close to me and which I have experienced first hand. I have chosen the teaching profession so that I can help my people gain the opportunity to reach their full potential. However, I feel that most non-Aboriginal teachers are not fully aware of the problems that confront Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islander people in schooling.

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