Equity in Health: A Review of Disparities among Mäori Pre and Post Cultural Safety Education/Kawa Whakaruruhau in New Zealand

The Aboriginal Health Access Centre (AHAC) and Aboriginal Community Health Centre Model of Wholistic Health and Wellbeing is critical to addressing inequities and barriers that limit access to comprehensive primary healthcare for Indigenous people. Even with this model in place, there are multiple points of intersection with mainstream healthcare service providers across health sectors. Further, there is considerable cultural diversity among Indigenous healthcare staff and professional groups. These factors place Indigenous people at risk of culturally unsafe experiences causing harm. Given this, it is essential that leaders focus on cultural safety education to address both intercultural frictions within the Indigenous centres and systemic and structural racism widespread within the broader healthcare system. This article explores how one AHAC has undertaken to examine these complex challenges, while offering some direction on leadership within the sector.

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Hermeneutic Notions Augment Cultural Safety Education

Journal of Nursing Education ◽

10.3928/01484834-20050901-05 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 44 (9) ◽

pp. 409-414 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Deb G. Spence

Keyword(s):

Cultural Safety ◽

Safety Education

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Cultural safety training for allied health students in Australia

The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education ◽

10.1017/jie.2020.2 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Marion Gray ◽

Yvonne Thomas ◽

Marianne Bonassi ◽

Jacinta Elston ◽

Geraldine Tapia

Keyword(s):

Cultural Identity ◽

Allied Health ◽

Cultural Safety ◽

Cultural Humility ◽

Indigenous Australians ◽

Safety Education ◽

Allied Health Students ◽

Before And After ◽

Education Workshop ◽

Knowledge And Attitude

Abstract Culturally safe health practitioners are essential for effective service provision to culturally diverse populations, including Indigenous Australians. Therefore, cultural safety education during training as a health care professional is an essential component in helping improve the health of Indigenous Australians. This study examined whether the implementation of an Indigenous cultural safety education workshop increased self-rated cultural safety knowledge and attitudes of allied health students. The study employed a quantitative before-and-after design using pre- and post-surveys to determine the level of attitudinal change in students who attended a day long workshop. The study sample consisted of 1st year (n = 347) and 4th year (n = 149) allied health students at a regional Australian university over the years 2007–2011. Whilst the results of this current study are varied in terms of achieving positive change across all of the taught items of knowledge and attitude, they provide some evidence around the value of this type of curriculum intervention in helping develop culturally safe practitioners. An important finding was around the student's becoming self-aware about their own values and cultural identity, combined with acknowledging the importance of this cultural identity to interactions with clients. This form of ‘cultural humility’ appears to be an important step to becoming a culturally safe practitioner. These types of interventions would be enhanced through embedding and scaffolding throughout the curricula.

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The Experiences of Internationally Qualified Registered Nurses Working in the Australian Healthcare System: An Integrative Literature Review

Journal of Transcultural Nursing ◽

10.1177/1043659617723075 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 29 (3) ◽

pp. 274-284 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Ylona Chun Tie ◽

Melanie Birks ◽

Jane Mills

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Registered Nurses ◽

Healthcare System ◽

Cultural Safety ◽

Safety Education ◽

Data Set ◽

Culturally Congruent ◽

Set Inclusion ◽

Research Findings ◽

Critical Appraisal Skills

Introduction: International nurses account for 20% of the Australian nurse workforce. This review aims to identify and appraise research findings on the experiences of internationally qualified registered nurses working in the Australian healthcare system. Methodology: The review was structured using Whittemore and Knafl modified framework for integrated reviews. A systematic database search was undertaken. Articles ( n = 48) were identified for appraisal based on set inclusion and exclusion criteria. Evaluation using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program tool resulted in ( n = 16) articles in the final data set. Results: Three broad themes were identified: (a) Transitioning—Need for appropriate, timely, and adequate supports to assist transition to practice; (b) Practicing within local contexts—How expectations were different to the reality of clinical practice; and (c) Experiencing prejudice—when racial prejudice occurred. Discussion: Appropriate programs including cultural-safety education can mitigate adverse workforce dynamics within culturally diverse health care teams to enable provision of culturally congruent health care.

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'…but I just prefer to treat everyone the same…': general practice receptionists talking about health inequities

Australian Journal of Primary Health ◽

10.1071/py19026 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 25 (5) ◽

pp. 430

Author(s):

Rowan Manhire-Heath ◽

Donna Cormack ◽

Emma Wyeth

Keyword(s):

General Practice ◽

New Zealand ◽

Social Constructionism ◽

Health Inequities ◽

Cultural Safety ◽

Limited Data ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Health Determinant ◽

The Social ◽

Patient’S Experience

General practice receptionists are positioned at the beginning of a patient’s journey within the healthcare system, yet their influence on a patient’s experience is unknown. The limited data on, and research involving, general practice receptionists both in New Zealand and internationally is evidence of this. This research undertook an exploration of the discourses used by a group of general practice receptionists in Wellington, New Zealand to discover how they talk about, and represent, health inequities. Eight in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted, guided by Social Constructionism and Decolonising Theory. Three reoccurring patterns of discourse were identified: discourses about the social determinants of health; discourses about Māori culture and behaviour; and discourses about egalitarianism. Further, narratives that could be seen as deficit-focussed or victim-blaming were identified. Racism was not directly discussed by participants as a health determinant. The findings support the need for training guided by cultural safety and anti-racism principles to be available for all general practice receptionists.

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