"It's about Rights": The Bunya Project's Indigenous Australian Voices on Health Care Curricula and Practice

Area of Science:

• Indigenous Health
• Health Professional Education
• Public Health Policy

Background:

• Indigenous community-controlled health organizations offer vital expertise often excluded from health professional education.
• This exclusion hinders the integration of Indigenous knowledges and protocols into future healthcare practices.
• Existing health professional training in Australia has limited Indigenous staff and engagement with Indigenous experts despite government commitments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify recommendations for integrating Indigenous community-controlled health expertise into health professional curricula.
• To explore strategies for enhancing cultural safety and addressing health inequities in Indigenous health.
• To inform curriculum development through partnerships between non-Indigenous universities and Indigenous organizations.

Main Methods:

• Participatory action research through the Indigenous-led Bunya Project.
• Conducted 24 semi-structured interviews with Indigenous individuals.
• Thematic analysis of interview data to identify key recommendations.

Main Results:

• Three core themes emerged: role-modeling and leadership of Indigenous-controlled health organizations, specific learnings for health professionals, and achieving human rights in practice.
• Highlighted the need for health professionals to extend beyond clinical care.
• Emphasized the importance of developing knowledge, skills, and actions regarding client self-determination and critical self-reflection for cultural safety.

Conclusions:

• Integrating Indigenous community-controlled health expertise into curricula is essential for culturally safe practice.
• Health professional education must foster self-determination and human rights principles.
• Critical self-reflection is a foundational skill for achieving cultural safety in healthcare.