Guiding practice principles for clinicians who work with Indigenous people

Area of Science:

• Indigenous Health
• Clinical Practice
• Health Equity

Background:

• Culturally safe healthcare is essential for improving Indigenous peoples' health outcomes.
• Non-Indigenous clinicians often lack adequate preparation to deliver culturally safe care.
• The NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence (CRE) for First Nations Children has researched improving clinical care for Indigenous children with respiratory disease.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide practical information for clinicians on delivering culturally safe healthcare to Indigenous people.
• To identify key themes from CRE research on improving care for Indigenous children.
• To enhance health literacy and patient autonomy through relevant and understandable health information.

Main Methods:

• Review of research conducted by the CRE for First Nations Children.
• Informed by relevant manuscripts known to CRE members.
• Identification of key themes from a 2023 CRE meeting.

Main Results:

• Relevant and understandable health information is critical for Indigenous patients' health literacy and autonomy.
• Effective communication strategies between healthcare providers and patients are vital.
• Creating culturally safe healthcare environments is a key theme.

Conclusions:

• Clinicians need practical guidance to provide culturally safe healthcare to Indigenous patients.
• Improving communication and health information delivery enhances patient autonomy and outcomes.
• The findings are translatable to various healthcare settings and areas.