Healthcare professionals' cultural safety practices for indigenous peoples in the acute care setting - a scoping review.

BACKGROUND: For Indigenous Peoples the disparities in health status are largely associated with the direct social determinants of invasion and colonisation, marginalisation, intergenerational traumas, and lack of conscious government policy to address these ongoing effects. There is currently limited evidence in the literature on what Cultural Safety practices mean in acute care settings. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to understand the extent and type of evidence in relation to current knowledge and evidence regarding Cultural Safety practices for Indigenous Peoples in acute care settings. DESIGN: This is a scoping review. METHODS: We searched six databases in consultation with a librarian experienced in health research. RESULTS: A total of 16 papers were included in the scoping review. Four main barriers to Cultural Safety in practice were identified; Among the included studies, only one quality improvement study reported an intervention, which improved culturally safe care. CONCLUSION: The four barriers identified each have a variable impact on Indigenous Peoples' health outcomes and are dependent upon the circumstances and experiences of both Indigenous Peoples and healthcare professionals.

HOW CAN SCHOOLS OF NURSING AND MIDWIFERY PREPARE THEIR GRADUATES TO ENCOURAGE MEDICATION ADHERENCE FOR AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER CLIENTS?

Research undertaken in mainstream Australian studies show that the overall rate of medication non-adherence has been reported to be high, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia leading to adverse and critical health outcomes (AIHW 2010).

An Aboriginal nurse-led working model for success in graduating Indigenous Australian nurses.

Abstract Australia needs more Indigenous nurses. This is widely recognised in both academic literature and government policy. In 2012, only 0.8 percent of the Australian nursing workforce was Indigenous (AIHW, 2012). In spite of the clear need, there is little discussion about how to successfully recruit, retain and graduate Indigenous nursing students. This paper describes a successful programme being implemented at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ). Between 2000 and 2012, USQ graduated 80 Indigenous nurses and midwives, at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. In this paper, the authors outline the journey they undertook to develop the successful programme at USQ: The Indigenous nursing support model: Helping hands. They argue that four elements underpin success for Indigenous nursing students: The availability of Indigenous academics, Indigenous health content in the nursing curriculum, Indigenous-specific recruitment materials, and individual mentoring and nurturing of Indigenous students.

Confronting the Cultural Challenge of the Whiteness of Nursing: Aboriginal Registered Nurses' Perspectives.

Abstract This paper presents the findings of a study that that interviewed Aboriginal nurses to explore their experiences of the whiteness of nursing. Despite concerted efforts to improve the health of Aboriginal Australians, it still remains equivalent to third world countries. One strategy to address this that has been identified is to increase the participation rates of Aboriginal registered nurses within the Australian healthcare workforce. Presently Aboriginal nurses account for only a small percentage of the nursing workforce. While there has been research into the recruitment and retention strategies dedicated to improving the numbers of Aboriginal registered nurses, this paper focus on the experiences of Aboriginal registered nurses within Australia's mainstream healthcare system, where they are exposed and subjected on a daily basis to the 'whiteness of nursing'.

An Aboriginal nurse-led working model for success in graduating Indigenous Australian nurses.

Abstract Australia needs more Indigenous nurses. This is widely recognised in both academic literature and government policy. In 2012, only 0.8 percent of the Australian nursing workforce was Indigenous (AIHW, 2012). In spite of the clear need, there is little discussion about how to successfully recruit, retain and graduate Indigenous nursing students. This paper describes a successful program being implemented at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ). Between 2000 and 2012, USQ graduated 80 Indigenous nurses and midwives, at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. In this paper, the authors outline the journey they undertook to develop the successful program at USQ: the Indigenous Nursing Support (INS) Model: Helping Hands. They argue that four elements underpin success for Indigenous nursing students: the availability of Indigenous academics, Indigenous health content in the nursing curriculum, Indigenous-specific recruitment materials, and individual mentoring and nurturing of Indigenous students.

Confronting the cultural challenge of the whiteness of nursing: Aboriginal registered nurses' perspectives.

Abstract This paper presents the findings of a study that interviewed Aboriginal nurses to explore their experiences of the whiteness of nursing. Despite concerted efforts to improve the health of Aboriginal Australians, it still remains equivalent to third world countries. One strategy identified to address this is to increase the participation rates of Aboriginal registered nurses within the Australian healthcare workforce. Presently Aboriginal nurses account for only a small percentage of the nursing workforce. While there has been research into the recruitment and retention strategies dedicated to improving the numbers of Aboriginal registered nurses, this paper focus on the experiences of Aboriginal registered nurses within Australia's mainstream healthcare system, where they are exposed and subjected on a daily basis to the 'whiteness of nursing.'

Two Aboriginal registered nurses show us why black nurses caring for black patients is good medicine.

In Queensland, Aboriginal nurses are limited in number in comparison to the mainstream nursing workforce. More Aboriginal registered nurses are needed to cater for Aboriginal patients in our Australian healthcare system in view of today's burgeoning Indigenous health crisis. It is a foregone conclusion that Aboriginal nurses are the most suitable nurses to provide optimal cross cultural care for Aboriginal patients, due to having similar cultural backgrounds. The following paper will show how two Aboriginal registered nurses are optimistic about the possibilities of expanding the ranks of Aboriginal registered nurses through role modelling, and are channelling their research to achieve this with the aim of promoting better health outcomes for their people. A qualitative research approach has been used to examine the subjective human experience of the participants. Three dominant themes emerged from the research and will be expanded upon within the body of this paper to support the authors' thesis that Aboriginal nurses are a valuable commodity to address the Aboriginal health crisis.