Critical Review on Health Care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People

This critical review evaluates the attitudes towards the cultural safety in the provision of health care for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It explains the personal reflection and perception of the development of the cultural competence and cultural safety related to the Aboriginal and Torres Islander community.

Running head: CRITICAL REVIEW
Critical Review
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Introduction
There are various frameworks for health care for the aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
people.Concepts such as the cultural awareness, safety, and sensitivity of the culture, attitudes,
and skills of the individual practitioners in the community are some of the important factors that
need to be addressed (Lindstedt et al., 2017). It is important and interesting to evaluate the
attitudes towards the cultural safety in the provision of health care for the Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander people since it is a long-neglected topic.This critical review will explain the
personal reflection and perception of the development of the cultural competence and cultural
safety related to the Aboriginal and Torres Islander community.
Summary
There is a considerable low number of research studies and literature in the strategies
related to health services for the culturally respectful care to the Aboriginal and Torrs Strait
Islander community (Parnell, Morris & Jacobs, 2017).The concept of aboriginal health is not
confined to the physical well-being of an individual, it refers to the cultural, social and emotional
wellbeing of the people of the entire community.This report is the personal insight of the case
studies which I have conducted on one aboriginal community controlled health care services and
their community health care services to evaluate and examine the strategies related to culture,
experiences of the client and the barriers to the cultural respect.While conducting my study, I
have observed that it is essential to address the capabilities of the practitioner given the limit of
racism that is experienced by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for accessing the
health care.I have further noticed that the ability of the individual practitioner for ensuring equity

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in access and outcomes in healthcare for the group of people belonging to the Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander community is restricted and limited by the system, policy and the fundings
of the organizations.My social view of the health explains that economic, social and cultural
factors influence the health of the community people.Some of the notable social determinants
which I observed are the background or the circumstances where the community people grow up,
work, live and age by time.The 1973 Federal Community Health Program initiated the
development of the community health services which faces certain barriers to provide healthcare
services to the community people due to the social and cultural stigmas (Freeman et al.,
2014).While cultural respect defines the recognition and protection of the inherent rights,
traditions, cultures of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, I observed the lack of
service level strategies among the healthcare practitioners and institutions to achieve cultural
respect.One of the major issues that I observed in the community is the existence of racism.Many
of the community people get discriminated and marginalized and do not receive effective and
needful health care services due to this particular concept among the community.
Critical evaluation
Description: Throughout the study, I learned that the holistic understanding of the
wellbeing and health includes the entire community of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander.It includes some of the broad issues like social justice, rights, equity, traditional
knowledge and connection to the country.The traditional medical practice in the culture of the
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander group encircles a holistic view of the world ("Indigenous
Australians: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people", 2018). I learned from the community

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people that the traditional healers, healing music, and brush medicines were some of the
traditional forms of the primary health care among the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
people.I further came to know that the impact of colonization and the disconnection of the
community people from their traditional families and land had a major impact on their practice
of traditional medicine.Hence statistically I feel that I will surely live ten years longer than an
aboriginal person.
Feelings: While conducting the study, I understood that the entire community believes in
the inseparable connection between the body and the mind.The people in the community believe
that it is important to maintain a healthy balance between the physical and the spiritual selves
(Rix, Barclay & Wilson, 2014).Though I believe that I can survive more than an aboriginal
people due to their lack of access to proper healthcare and age-old traditional practices,I believe
that it is unfair to restrict the community people from getting safe healthcare facilities in the
context of racism and other social barriers.
Evaluation: There exists an equity in the concept of equality, the concept of the wealth of
knowledge can be utilized to improve the understanding of the procedure of healing among the
community group.I believe it is the basic inalienable right of each and every individual of the
globe to have equal access to the facilities of health care and the right to safe livelihood.Hence,
the health of the people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander should not be neglected.
Analysis: The gap the life expectancy of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
that to the normal population still exist due many reasons.Some of the reasons includes the
impact of colonization,failed governmental policies and difficult social and cultural

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determinants. I further met traditional healers and felt that plants that are grown in the local areas
of the community can also be used as an alternative to the high-cost medicines.
Conclusion: After my observation,I can conclude that racism among the community
people is one of the main reason for the poor healthcare facilities and low lifeline among the
community people in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander region. The gap in the life
expectancy needs to be verified and rectified and I personally think that the close gap campaigns
needs further revision and development (McIntyre, Townsend & Cullen, 2017).
Action Plan: I believe that much can be done to improve the livestyles and health of the
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.Some of the basic strategies and action plans for
improving the life opportunities of the community people includes
 Introduction of alternatives to the high cost of the Western Style medicine within
a span of two to three years.
 Reduction and closure of gap in life outcomes for the people of Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander who experiences vulnerability.
 Ensuring all the people of the community live and grow up in a safe and healthy
environment from date (Davy et al., 2017).
Conclusion
Thus it can be concluded that examination of certain new service strategies and
alternatives should be introduced for improving the health of the people belonging to the
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander region.According to my personal insight, these strategies
and the evaluation plan have the required potential for improving the health and well-being of
the people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.

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References
Davy, C., Kite, E., Sivak, L., Brown, A., Ahmat, T., Brahim, G., ... & Mitchell, F. (2017).
Towards the development of a wellbeing model for aboriginal and Torres Strait islander
peoples living with chronic disease. BMC health services research, 17(1), 659.
Freeman, T., Edwards, T., Baum, F., Lawless, A., Jolley, G., Javanparast, S., & Francis, T.
(2014). Cultural respect strategies in Australian Aboriginal primary health care services:
beyond education and training of practitioners. Australian And New Zealand Journal Of
Public Health, 38(4), 355-361. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1753-6405.12231
Indigenous Australians: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. (2018). Australian
Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. Retrieved 23 April 2018, from
https://aiatsis.gov.au/explore/articles/indigenous-australians-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-
islander-people
Lindstedt, S., Moeller-Saxone, K., Black, C., Herrman, H., & Szwarc, J. (2017). Realist Review
of Programs, Policies, and Interventions to Enhance the Social, Emotional, and Spiritual
Well-Being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Young People Living in Out-of-
Home Care. The International Indigenous Policy Journal, 8(3), 5.
McIntyre, M., Townsend, C., & Cullen, J. (2017). Responding to the needs of homeless
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people with complex disability: The Guddi
for Young People. Journal of Social Inclusion, 8(2), 81-89.
Parnell, D., Morris, S., & Jacobs, R. (2017). Engaging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
peoples in the ‘Proper Way’.

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Rix, E. F., Barclay, L., & Wilson, S. (2014). Can a white nurse get it?‘Reflexive practice’and the
non-Indigenous clinician/researcher working with Aboriginal people. Rural Remote
Health, 14(2679).