Digital Commons Network^™

Health Website Evaluation - An Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Perspective: Assessing Quality And Cultrability Of Health Websites In A Covid-19 Pandemic: A Literature Review., Selma Kum Sing, Daniel Mcdonough, James Charles

Australian Indigenous HealthBulletin

Introduction

Health Websites have been used to improve the health and wellbeing of people since the internet was widely available to the world’s populations. The development of websites by health practitioners, hospitals, and governments has continued to grow over the past 20 years. Due to the restriction of movement and gatherings for populations globally caused by Covid-19, there has been a reliance on health information being disseminated via health websites. However, there has been little investigation into the appropriateness of health websites for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Aim

Review literature on digital resources and evaluate health websites based …

Intellectual Disability In The Australian Aboriginal Population: A Critical Review, Ryan Yj Chong, Ritesh Bhandarkar

Australian Indigenous HealthBulletin

Objectives

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are the Indigenous population of Australia. Australian Aboriginal people represent a small percentage of the overall Australian population. However, this population group has a higher rate of Intellectual Disability when compared to the non-Indigenous Australian population.

This article aims to review the current literature regarding Intellectual Disability in the Australian Aboriginal Population, build on the current evidence base for Intellectual Disability specific to the Australian Aboriginal population, investigate if any changes to the evidence base have occurred, and identify areas where further research is required. This is in comparison to a literature review …

‘Missing The Target’ – A Critical Examination Of Policy Frameworks For Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Inclusion Into The Allied Health Professions, Andrea Simpson, Tim Pitman

Australian Indigenous HealthBulletin

Objective

This paper focuses on critically examining the inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in policy frameworks by regulatory health peak bodies against the backdrop of the Government’s response to the Closing the Gap (2020) report.

Method

Websites of ten allied health professional bodies were searched and analysed as policy as text.

Results

Of the ten professions examined, the search strategy identified 9 professions were signatories or co-signatories on Reconciliation Action Plans (RAP) and three professions made mention of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander equity strategies to enter the profession as part of accreditation standards.

Conclusions

Professional bodies …

Aboriginal Health Consumers Experiences Of An Aboriginal Health Curriculum Framework, Petah Atkinson, Marilyn Baird, Karen Adams

Australian Indigenous HealthBulletin

Introduction

In settler colonised countries medical education is situated in colonist informed health systems. This form of colonisation is characterised by overt racism and contributes to the significant health inequities experienced by Indigenous peoples. Not surprisingly, medical accreditation bodies in these countries have mandated the curriculum include content relating to Indigenous peoples. However, what is absent is the Indigenous health consumer worldview of health care and their nuanced lived experience of the delivery of medical care.

Methods

Yarning methods, integral to Aboriginal peoples’ ways of understanding and learning, were utilised. A Yarning guide was constructed with Social Yarn and Research …

The Development And Implementation Of A Culturally Safe Survey For Measuring Knowledge, Attitudes And Values Around Fasd And Alcohol Use During Pregnancy In A Remote Australian Aboriginal Community Setting, Martyn Symons, David Tucker, Kaashifah Bruce, Annalee Stearne, Annette Kogolo, Maureen Carter, June Oscar, Glenn Pearson, James P. Fitzpatrick

Australian Indigenous HealthBulletin

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) describes a lifelong neurodevelopmental disability caused by prenatal alcohol exposure that has a devastating impact on individuals, families and communities. The prevalence of FASD is high in some Indigenous communities around the World and the only active case ascertainment prevalence study conducted in Australia found a rate of 19.44 per 100 children in the remote Fitzroy Valley region of Western Australia. Following this study community led FASD prevention activities were implemented under the Marulu (“Worth Nurturing”) Strategy in the Fitzroy Valley.

A Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices survey was designed to assess the impact of the …

Editorial, Neil M. Drew

Australian Indigenous HealthBulletin

No abstract provided.

Review Of Sexual Health Issues Linked With Cardiovascular Disease And Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus In Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Males, Veronica Collins, Tamara J. Swann, Jane Burns, Tim Moss, Mick Adams

Australian Indigenous HealthBulletin

There are well established links between male sexual health conditions and chronic disease, particularly cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Erectile dysfunction (ED) and low testosterone are two sexual health conditions that are relatively common among the wider male population. However, there is a lack of data specifically about these sexual problems among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males.

One of the most important findings of research regarding the links between sexual health and chronic disease is that ED can be a risk marker for future CVD or undiagnosed T2DM. Understanding these links can lead to more holistic …

Review Of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (Fasd) Among Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander People, Sharynne Hamilton, Michael Doyle, Carol Bower

Australian Indigenous HealthBulletin

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a preventable, lifelong disability that disproportionately affects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This review provides a comprehensive synthesis of the available information on FASD among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, with reference to the limitations on population-based data and evaluated programs. The review outlines; the harms of alcohol use in the context of colonisation, cultural perspectives on assessment and diagnosis, effective prevention programs and a summary of state and national policies. Health impacts, educational outcomes and the effects of FASD on vulnerable populations such as children in protection and young people in …

The Aboriginal Gap In Online Active Vaccine Safety Surveillance, Patrick Cashman, Sally-Anne Munnoch, Katrina Clark, Natalie Allan, Stephen Clarke, Kristine Macartney, David Durrheim

Australian Indigenous HealthBulletin

Objectives: To investigate if Aboriginal people are equally included in new forms of vaccine safety post-marketing surveillance that support safety signal detection and confidence in the vaccine program by comparing the use of Vaxtracker active adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) surveillance between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal parents of vaccinated children.

Methods: In 2016, automated AEFI surveillance was conducted to monitor seasonal influenza vaccine in children aged 18 months to less than 5 years and for DTPa vaccine after the inclusion of a new dose at 18 months of age. To explore reasons for non-response, Aboriginal Immunisation Officers contacted the …

Keeping It Real: Virtual Connection With Stop Trial Community Navigators, Tracy Mcrae, John Jacky, Janine Mcnamara, Slade Sibosado, Janella Isaac, Joshua Augustine, Rosanna Smith, Jessica Bunning Dr, Asha C. Bowen Dr

Australian Indigenous HealthBulletin

Building trust and forging relationships with remote Aboriginal communities is an essential element of culturally informed, reciprocal research. Historically these relationships have been formed over-time where community members and researchers come together face to face to share their knowledge and yarn in both an informal and formal manner. Researchers from Telethon Kids Institute are partnering with local stakeholders and remote Aboriginal communities in the Kimberley, Western Australia (WA) to support healthy skin through the SToP (See, Treat, Prevent skin sores and scabies) Trial. The SToP trial, a collaboration between Telethon Kids Institute, Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services (KAMS), Nirrumbuk Environmental Health …

Medical Decision Making Using Knowledge Of Patient Identification As Aboriginal Or Torres Strait Islander: What Do Medical Students Think?, Winnifred Knight, Michael J. Platow, Diana M. Grace, Oliver Tye, Jess Styles

Australian Indigenous HealthBulletin

Objective

Best-practices guidelines require Australian health practitioners to ask all patients “are you [is the person] of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin?”. The present study investigated medical student attitudes regarding medical decisions made after asking this standard status question.

Methods

A hypothetical interaction between a doctor and an Aboriginal patient was presented in a pen-and-paper questionnaire in which: (1) the doctor considered (or did not consider) the patient’s Indigenous status relevant to make a medical diagnosis, and (2) the doctor registered (or did not register) the patient for the Closing the Gap PBS co-payment. Participants were first- and second-year …

Opinions And Perceptions Of Indigenous Mental Health Applications From Service Providers And Youth Samples: A Pilot Study, Lucas Silva-Myles, Sarah Blunden

Australian Indigenous HealthBulletin

Objective

To evaluate opinions and perceptions around managing mental health and the relevance of available mental health applications (apps) for Indigenous youth populations by surveying values of Indigenous service providers and youth samples in a regional area, in order to better target online mental health information.

Method

Participants were 15 Indigenous youths (6 males, 9 females) with a mean (SD) age of 16.93 (2.37), and 30 Indigenous service providers (6 males, 24 females) with a mean age (SD) of 34.59 (12.26). Participants were recruited through a Queensland regional Indigenous community organisation, and given a face-to-face survey, (developed with Indigenous community …

An Exploration Of Interventions For Healing Intergeneration Trauma To Develop Successful Healing Programs For Aboriginal Australians: A Literature Review, Alison J. Simpson, William Abur, James A. Charles

Australian Indigenous HealthBulletin

Introduction

Health outcomes and life expectancy of Indigenous people throughout the world are far poorer than non-Indigenous populations. Emerging evidence from research shows that many social issues which impact on Indigenous peoples globally is linked to trauma over generations. This review explores literature about Indigenous people from around the world to seek interventions which have been successful in healing intergenerational trauma.

Method

To identify interventions that have been successful in healing intergenerational trauma amongst Indigenous populations globally, a systematic search strategy was conducted using keywords and synonyms related to the topic. Peer reviewed academic literature was sourced from four …