Indigenous Measures for Protecting and Addressing Critical Trauma (IMPACT) - Project protocol

Area of Science:

• Indigenous health research
• Trauma care systems
• Cultural safety in healthcare

Background:

• Trauma care systems often lack cultural responsiveness for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
• There is a need to embed Indigenous knowledges into healthcare practices.
• Existing trauma care models require transformation to address critical trauma effectively.

Purpose of the Study:

• To transform trauma care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
• To embed Indigenous knowledges and culturally responsive practices into trauma systems.
• To co-design relational clinical quality indicators and patient-reported outcome measures.

Main Methods:

• Implementation across two South Australian trauma sites using Knowledge-Interface Methodology.
• Four phases: trauma profiles, co-design of indicators/outcomes, piloting/evaluation (RE-AIM QuEST), and national translation.
• Guided by an Aboriginal Governance Council, ensuring Indigenous Data Sovereignty and community-led decision-making.

Main Results:

• Co-design of relational clinical quality indicators and patient-reported outcomes.
• Enhanced cultural safety in trauma care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Conclusions:

• Demonstrated improvements in cultural safety and patient-reported outcomes in trauma care.
• Increased use of Indigenous-led quality indicators.
• Capacity building for Aboriginal researchers and a replicable model for national health reform.
• Development of culturally responsive quality of life tools to advance health equity.