Library resource guides: Indigenous health: Overview

Spotlight

Cultural Safety in Trauma-Informed Practice from a First Nations Perspective: Billabongs of Knowledge by Nicole Tujague; Kelleigh Ryan This book provides an accessible resource for conducting culturally safe and trauma-informed practice with First Nations' peoples in Australia. Designed by and for Australian Indigenous peoples, it explores psychological trauma and healing, and the clinical and cultural implications of the impacts of colonization, through an Indigenous lens. It is a companion for anyone who works or will work with our families and communities.    The authors recognise trauma at the heart of all Indigenous disadvantage, and explore types of trauma in the context of Indigenous, collective cultures. The chapters take an Indigenous 'Yarning' approach to sharing knowledge, and encourage readers to challenge their unconscious, long-held beliefs and worldviews. Nicole Tujague and Kelleigh Ryan identify the differences between mainstream systems and more holistic Indigenous understandings of social and emotional health and wellbeing and outline a meaningful practice framework for practitioners. They analyse types of complex trauma, including intergenerational, institutional, collective and historical trauma; and discuss the impacts of racism and the concept of 'cultural load'. They also address vicarious, or "compassion" trauma experienced by front line workers and carers; and offer insights into their experience of working with collective healing programs. This book is essential reading for Indigenous practitioners and service providers to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It is also a valuable resource for students likely to work with First Nations' peoples within a broad range of health and social science disciplines.   
ISBN: 9783031131370
Publication Date: 2023-03-13
INNOVATE Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP): January 2023 – January 2025 by Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists
Publication Date: January 2023

First Nations Health and Wellbeing - The Lowitja Journal
Online: Vol. 1, 2023 - current
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First Nations* Health and Wellbeing - The Lowitja Journal is the official journal of the Lowitja Institute, Australia's first community-controlled research institute. It is a community-controlled, international, community member, inter- and multi-disciplinary peer-reviewed open access journal that is dedicated to expanding access to First Nations research. We focus on primary research papers, systematic reviews, and informed short reports and community contributions on all aspects of the science, culture, philosophy and practice regarding health and wellbeing for First Nations communities.

So N, Price K, O'Mara P, Rodrigues MA. The importance of cultural humility and cultural safety in health care. Med J Aust. 2024;220(1):12-13. Keywords: Cultural competency; Culture; Health promotion; Indigenous health; Migrants; Primary health care; Refugees; Social determinants of health.
Riley T, Lovett R, Cumming B, Meredith A, Anderson NE, Thandrayen J. Data analysis of zoonoses notifications in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations in Australia 1996-2021: implications for One Health. Front Public Health. 2023;11:1175835. Keywords: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander; One Health; animal health; environment; public health; zoonoses.
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Abstract
Introduction: Zoonoses are a health concern for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia that face elevated risk of disease related to the environment and animals. Internationally, One Health is encouraged to effectively manage zoonoses by taking integrated approaches involving animal, human, and environmental health sectors to improve health outcomes. However, Australia's health systems manage zoonotic diseases in animals and people separately which does not support a One Health approach. For the effective management of zoonoses, a strong evidence base and database regarding the epidemiology of zoonotic pathogens is needed. However, we currently lack this evidence limiting our understanding of the impact of zoonoses on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations.

Methods: As a first step towards building the evidence base, we undertook a descriptive analysis of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander zoonotic notifications in Australia from 1996 to 2021. We presented notifications as annual notification rates per 100,000 population, and percentages of notifications by state, remoteness, sex, and age group.

Results: Salmonellosis and campylobacteriosis were the most notified zoonoses with the highest annual notification rates of 99.75 and 87.46 per 100,000 population, respectively. The north of Australia (Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia), remote and outer regional areas, and young children (0-4 years of age) had the highest percentages of notifications.

Discussion: To our knowledge, these findings are the first national presentation of the epidemiology of zoonoses within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations. A greater understanding of transmission, prevalence and impact of zoonoses on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (including animal and environmental health factors) is required to inform their effective management through a One Health approach.
Usher K, Jackson D, Kabir H, et al. Preventative health assessments and indigenous people of Australia: a scoping review. Front Public Health. 2023;11:1168568. Keywords: Australian; barriers; indigenous; indigenous health assessments; preventive health; scoping review.
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Abstract
Given that Indigenous populations globally are impacted by similar colonial global legacies, their health and other disaprities are usually worse than non-indigenous people. Indigenous peoples of Australia have been seriously impacted by colonial legacies and as a result, their health has negatively been affected. If Indigenous health and wellbeing are to be promoted within the existing Australian health services, a clear understanding of what preventive health means for Indigenous peoples is needed. The aim of this scoping review was to explore the available literature on the uptake/engagement in health assessments or health checks by Indigenous Australian peoples and to determine the enablers and barriers and of health assessment/check uptake/engagement. Specifically, we aimed to: investigate the available evidence reporting the uptake/engagement of health checks/assessments for Australian Indigenous; assess the quality of the available evidence on indigenous health checks/assessments; and identify the enablers or barriers affecting Indigenous persons' engagement and access to health assessment/health checks. A systematic search of online databases (such as Cinhl, Scopus, ProQuest health and medicine, PubMed, informit, google scholar and google) identified 10 eligible publications on Indigenous preventive health assessments. Reflexive thematic analysis identified three major themes on preventive health assessments: (1) uptake/engagement; (2) benefits and limitations; and (3) enablers and barriers. Findings revealed that Indigenous peoples' uptake and/or engagement in health assessments/check is a holistic concept varied by cultural factors, gender identity, geographical locations (living in regional and remote areas), and Indigenous clinical leadership/staff's motivational capacity. Overall, the results indicate that there has been improving rates of uptake of health assessments by some sections of Indigenous communities. However, there is clearly room for improvement, both for aboriginal men and women and those living in regional and remote areas. In addition, barriers to uptake of health asessments were identified as length of time required for the assessment, intrusive or sensitive questions and shame, and lack of access to health services for some. Indigenous clinical leadership is needed to improve services and encourage Indigenous people to participate in routine health assessments.

Djeembana Whakaora - First Nations Medicine Health & Healing
The Geoffrey Kaye Museum of Anaesthetic History chronicles the history of anaesthesia, intensive care and pain medicine. The museum's most recent exhibition, Djeembana Whakaora, recognises and values traditional modes of care and knowledge transmission.

This exhibition draws on thousands of generations of specialist knowledge. It is a contemporary expression of how First Nations peoples have always responded to their own health needs within cultural contexts, and created space for themselves within the dominant European model of health.

This exhibition has been curated by First Nations curators, with First Nations contributors, providing First Nations insights to medicine, health and healing. All of whom reside on the sacred lands now known as Australia.

CPD Value: CPD participants may claim this under the Practice evaluation - reviewing performance cultural safety activity.

Material and resources regarding First Nations peoples and cultures has historically been created and recorded by non-Indigenous people and may not have had the input of First Nations peoples themselves. As a result, this material may contain cultural inaccuracies and misinterpretations, or words and descriptions which could be considered insensitive, outdated and/or offensive in today's context.

Please contact us if you identify anything of this nature that you think should be removed from this guide.

Reconciliation Action Plan

ANZCA's Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) is an important step in our reconciliation with Australia’s First Nations peoples.

ANZCA Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP)

Key documents

PS62(G) Position statement on cultural competence and cultural safety 2023 The purpose of this statement is as follows: 1) To articulate ANZCA’s ongoing commitment to the role and importance of cultural competence and cultural safety; 2) To promote cultural safety; and 3) To serve as a resource to assist doctors to behave in a culturally safe manner.
PS62(G)BP Position statement on cultural competence and cultural safety Background Paper 2023
ANZCA Indigenous Health Strategy 2018-2022
Evolving ANZCA’s strategy towards Indigenous health: background paper The purpose of this paper is to provide background information to inform the evolution of ANZCA’s Indigenous health initiatives.

Learn@ANZCA

Learn@ANZCA (formerly Networks) is the college's learning management system.

Cultural safety: First Australians (1) This is the first course in the suite of four courses developed to support RACS SIMGs, trainees and fellows on their journey to providing culturally safe environments for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People. Each course is designed to be completed sequentially over a longer period of time. The content is broken into separate modules which will take around 30 minutes to complete.
Cultural safety: First Australians (2) This is the second course in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and Cultural Safety eLearning framework. This course has been developed to support RACS IMGs, Trainees and Fellows on their journey to contributing to a more culturally safe healthcare environment. This course builds on the learning of the Cultural safety: First Australians (1) course.

Indigenous health SIG

For more information about this Special Interest Group (SIG), including events, activities, resources and membership, please refer to the Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Māori health page on the college website and/or contact policy@anzca.edu.au.

Nau mai ki to wharepukapuka!

New Zealand-based users will be pleased to know that the ANZCA library discovery service includes a Māori language interface.

Simply navigate to the Language drop-down (which can be found in the navigation footer) and change the setting to Māori - the interface will then automatically update to utilise Māori language options throughout.

COVID-19 resources

AIDA: COVID-19 Updates
Essential information, social and emotional well-being support, and resources for the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association.

AudioDigest Spotlight

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Understanding the Struggle of Patient Access to Perioperative Medical Care (14 Jan 2022)
This program aims to improve access to perioperative medical care among disadvantaged populations.

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