Health system learning with Indigenous communities: a study protocol for a two-eyed seeing review and multiple case...

Area of Science:

• Indigenous Health
• Health Systems Research
• Organizational Learning

Background:

• Canadian healthcare systems inadequately address the needs of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples.
• Calls for integrating Indigenous knowledges and worldviews into healthcare have not been fully realized.
• Understanding organizational learning from diverse Indigenous communities is crucial but poorly understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how organizations learn from Indigenous communities they serve.
• To contribute to reconceptualizing the learning organization and learning health system.
• To privilege Indigenous knowledges and ways of knowing within healthcare.

Main Methods:

• Employs a two-eyed seeing literature review combining Indigenous and Western approaches.
• Utilizes an embedded multiple case study of three government organizations in the Northwest Territories.
• Data collection includes interviews, talking circles, and document analysis, guided by an Elder and representative steering group.

Main Results:

• Identifies pathways for organizations to learn from Indigenous communities.
• Highlights the importance of respectfully applying Indigenous knowledges and evidence.
• Provides insights into fostering health equity and supporting Indigenous wellness.

Conclusions:

• Addressing health disparities requires examining systemic issues within Canadian healthcare.
• This study offers guidance for health organizations to engage in respectful listening and learning.
• Contributes to advancing reconciliation in healthcare by valuing Indigenous perspectives.