Cultural Safety and Healthcare for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities in Australia

This paper discusses the importance of Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service (ACCHS) and ATSIHWs for the healthcare deliverance of Matt, a 24 year old Aboriginal patient. It also highlights the need for cultural competence and cultural sensitivity to address the unique cultural healthcare needs of Indigenous communities in Australia.

Running head: CULTURAL SAFETY AND HEALTHCARE
CULTURAL SAFETY AND HEALTHCARE
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

1CULTURAL SAFETY AND HEALTHCARE
Introduction
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Australia, possess an ethnic and
cultural background which is diverse and unique as compared to non-Indigenous cultures and
hence, have healthcare needs which are highly divergent than those of mainstream society.
Nurses employed for the care of such ethnically diverse patients must deliver skills of cultural
competence and cultural sensitivity to address their unique cultural healthcare needs (Sibthorpe,
Gardner & McAullay, 2016). The role of the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service
(ACCHS) is to deliver holistic, culturally competent healthcare to Indigenous communities
(McDermott et al., 2015). The following paper demonstrates the importance of an ACCHS for
the healthcare deliverance of Matt, a 24 year old Aboriginal patient.
Question 4
By administering the need to adopt person centered approaches, ACCHS and ATSIHWs
allow Australian Aboriginals to directly participate, take control and in the process, feel
empowered to engaged in their healthcare decision-making process (Clifford et al., 2015).
Adopting principles of cultural safety necessitate ACCHS to adopt cultural competent practices
which not only allow Indigenous patients to express their diverse needs but also make them feel
respected, empowered and dignified (Kendall & Barnett, 2015).
Conclusion
To conclude, the ACCHS and ATSIHWs contribute an essential role in ensuring that the
unique, culturally sensitive needs and ethnically diverse need of Aboriginal and Torres Strait

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Islander communities in Australia in terms of healthcare. The ACCHS seeks to address the
culturally unique requirements of Indigenous populations by engaging in the deliverance of
holistic and comprehensive healthcare services. By adhering to the principles of cultural safety
and self-determination, the ACCHS and ATSIHWs also ensure that Indigenous patients feel
empowered to take control over their own healthcare decisions. While working in an
interdisciplinary team, Indigenous workers must consider advising every health professional on
cultural competence.

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References
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McDermott, R. A., Schmidt, B., Preece, C., Owens, V., Taylor, S., Li, M., & Esterman, A.
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