Indigenous Health System in Australia: Palliative Care Analysis

This report examines the Indigenous health system in Australia, specifically focusing on palliative care. It begins by exploring three cultural aspects crucial for culturally competent healthcare delivery to Indigenous Australians, referencing historical perspectives and the evolution of healthcare services. The report then delves into the reasons why an Indigenous patient, Pam, desires to return to her community during the end stages of her life, highlighting cultural significance and the importance of community support. Finally, the report outlines the discharge information and palliative care services that would be supplied to Pam and her family, emphasizing the role of palliative care in improving the quality of life for patients with serious illnesses. The report underscores the importance of understanding cultural nuances, providing appropriate support, and ensuring access to comprehensive healthcare services for Indigenous communities.

Indigenous Health
System in Australia -
Palliative Care

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
a. 3 cultural aspect to culturally competent health care delivery for Indigenous Australians.....1
b. 2 reasons for why Pam wanted to return to her community at this end stage of her life........3
c. Discharge information including access to appropriate palliative care services that would be
supplied to Pam and its family....................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
An individual needs to have effective mental, social and physical well being so that the
type of work that is being provided can be performed in an effective manner. In this context, as
per indigenous people, they have similar set of understanding for health, they prefer to being
well about the harmony which exist among universe, individuals and community (Treloar, C.,
Gray, Brener and Newman, 2014). Social determinants of the health can b determined as the
condition in which people take birth, grow, live, work, etc. further, they get shaped up through
resources, power and money at local, national and global levels. This report is about a case of
Pam who is an 39 years old Indigenous Australian. It covers different attitudes, culture and
approaches to culturally competent health care delivery for Indigenous Australians.
a. 3 cultural aspect to culturally competent health care delivery for Indigenous Australians
As per one of the explorer, William Dampier, he happened to visit Australia in the year
1688. As per his view points, Aboriginal people are considered to be the most miserable people
around the globe and this was due to the great plagues of files that prevalent from 3 quarters.
Further, there are some kind of common diseases that were known. In this context, it includes
trachoma and yaws (Mercer, Byrth and Jordan, 2014). Further, different type of health care
services provided were considered to be sorcery and magic. This type of perception occurred due
to traditional healers who were provided emphasis over the physiological and spiritual aspects.
All the people in this society considered to look over the supernatural and spiritual aspect in
order to overcome the problem of illness or diseases. With this respect, event the clever men and
women considered to deal with issues related to health and consider other responsibilities like
appeasing spirit, deciding over punishments and rain making. Further, traditional healers aimed
at making use of plants so that medicines can be made. All type of medical treatments were
provided by doctors who visited on rotational or regular basis (Deravin-Malone and Anderson,
2016).
As per the history, it was in the year 1960 when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and
non-Indigenous people who were concerned about their health were frustrated due to the
outcome that they received from the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Health advocates become organised and movements were started against self determination.
They focused on understanding the main cause and that was emotional and physical ill health, it
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included the history of alienation and dispossession. Because of historic causes, it reduced the
involvement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with respect to economic, social and
political system. This way they developed their services that made them develop Aboriginal
Community Controlled Health services. It is stated to be the major part of Australian health
system. It was highly helpful enough for the management and prevention of health related issues
for the people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.
Another issues at these place was related with lack of information to people over the
steps that should be considered when they get any kind of diseases. However, with time
individuals were provided with training and development so that basic nursing skills can be
developed. Further, as per Western approach, in order to treat diseases, they took precedence and
other native doctors who were encouraged for practising (Reed, Fitzgerald and Bish, 2015). With
time may of the traditional practices were lost. In this context, it includes birthing on country.
Moreover, the rate of population raised and this created issues with respect, to stay. There was an
aspect in which people have to stay in their own place but this type of culture was eliminated due
to raise in population (Josif, Kruske and Barclay, 2017). With this respect, people can follow
their tradition even if they are non-Indigenous Australians.
Support of government has helped in develop positive perception within the mind of
people. The traditional type of approach that was being followed are known are eliminated or its
rate has reduced. This has helped for the local people to trust the services that are provided by
different organizations related to health and social care (Davidson, Phillips and Currow, 2016).
Earlier people used to trust and make use of traditional way for overcoming the diseases that is
faced by a patient. However, with proper support of government, they are making use of
different type of sources that are helpful enough to deliver proper information and the rate of
traditional methods have reduced. With the advancement in technology has helpful in getting
proper meditation for most of the diseases that are faced at Australia. Due to lack of information
to health worker, they are not able to deliver high quality services and to understand the type of
issue that is faced by the patients and it has affected the health in negative manner. There are
number of people who die due to not getting proper treatment for the issues that they are faced
(Anderson and Malone, 2015). With this respect, it is important that proper consideration should
be made so patient get to know the treatment that are available for the issue faced. There are
issues in which all the people who fall under the contract of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
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are provided with the treatment for the issues that are faced by them. One the other hand, people
who does not fall under this community does not get the treatment. As per the case, Pam is
willing to get back to her community and so this can be stated that if she is under the contract,
then all type of medication will be provided for the cancer that she is having (Marel, Mills and
Teesson, 2016). Another type of facility that the patient get is reduction in the services that are
being used. For each of the treatment that is provided consist of certain cost for the medication
that is being provided. With the help of community it is beneficial for the patient to get reduction
in the type of cost that is included in it. This way cancer which is type if serious issues that is
faced by patient that is Pam will be able to overcome the problems and that also at low cost.
b. 2 reasons for why Pam wanted to return to her community at this end stage of her life
As per the costume that is being followed by Indigenous Australian, they focus on
staying on the same place until they die. Due to increase in population, other lifestyle can be
followed also being a non-indigenous (Zorbas and Elston, 2016). However, when it comes to last
event of life, then it requires to be considered to stay and die in their community. As per the
costume that is being followed, it is important to make sure that one need to spend time with
their an-sisters. This is a type of belief in which they believe that will next life at the same place.
This is not possible when one say at other place as an non-indigenous. As per the case, this can
be determined as the main reason due to which Pam is willing to return to her community.
Further, they type of services that are being provided has been raised as the orders of the
government. Moreover, there is also support of government in order to make sure that people are
educated and they get to understand the problems that are being faced. When people have proper
information, then it becomes helpful enough for Pam to get proper information about the type of
health related issue that is faced by her. Moreover, the number of nurses at health professional in
community is high (Kelly, Wilden and Brown, 2016). More specifically, there are about 280000
nurses and midwives. When the rate of nurses are high, then it becomes favourable enough to get
high and better quality services. From this, it can be stated that these are the main two reasons
due to which Pam tent getting back to her community at the time of end stages of her life as she
is facing issues related with primary cervical cancer.
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c. Discharge information including access to appropriate palliative care services that would be
supplied to Pam and its family
Palliative care can be determined as a type of care that is provided in order to improve the
quality of patients life. These are for those in special who have serious or life threatening
diseases like cancer. It aims at understanding the problems that are faced by patient and focus on
understand the symptoms and changes that take place within the body and accordingly provide
treatment. In hospitals, there are team made that monitor the patient problems. Further, they also
monitor the considerations that are made by patient and their family members (Treloar, Gray,
Brener and Newman, 2014). There are different type of steps that are considered by care
providers in order to make sure that patient who have serious health issues. With this respect, it
includes proper monitoring of patient. In this context, day to day monitoring is need to be done
so that the rate of improvement can be determined. Further, for each of the diseases that a patient
is facing are provided with medicines that will be helpful enough to overcome them. When
medication is provided, then it becomes helpful enough to understand whether the patient is
reacting to it positively or negatively. When the observations made is positive, then it can be
stated that there is improvement in the type of services that are delivered to them.
On the other hand, if the provided medication is not effective, then there the time that is
scheduled by the team will get extinct. A patient can be discharged only when all the type of
problems that are faced by the patient are resolved. Considerations need to be made of the
requirement of family members (Mercer, Byrth and Jordan, 2014). There are different type of
preference that are provided by family members and the patient. All the needs and requirement
should be fulfilled. In case of cancer, support from members of the family is highly important as
it enables to make the mental stability strong and the rate of improvement is high. Further, there
are number of changing needs that are required by the patient with cancer. For a patient who is ill
and is also trying to manage the work that has to be performed by him/her, then for such
condition, support from family member is important for the patient. Palliative care is helpful
enough to prepare patient in order to make sure that they develop their physical body that occur
near the end of life. There are different type of mental stress that is caused to patient and it
becomes helpful to make sure that all the aspects should be considered and the mental stability is
provided. For this aspect, all the staff members who are involved in this are provided with proper
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training so that they will be able to understand the requirement of the patient and fulfil their
requirement (Deravin-Malone and Anderson, 2016). In this context, there are different type of
factors that has to be considered in which communication is one of the most important factor.
Communication is helpful enough to develop trust and confidence within the mind of patient
they get to develop trust over the medication and the type of care that is being provided to them.
As per the case, it is important that Pam have proper interaction and all the staff members are
able to deliver adequate care so that the cancer can be eliminated. Discharge can be provided to
Pam when the type of meditation that is provided to her is reacting in positive manner. Further,
the day to day monitoring will enable to understand the requirement and the barriers that are
faced. Further, the improvement can also be determined and this enable to know whether the
discharge of Pam is possible or not. Further, the main decision of discharge of any patient is take
up by Doctor (Reed, Fitzgerald and Bish, 2015). They make counting of results that are taken to
know the improvement. When the type of risk in which patient is reduced, then it enables to
consider that patient can be discharged.
CONCLUSION
From this report, it can be articulated that it is important for individuals have proper
information for that type of steps that should be considered to reduce the negative impact over
the health should be known. Further, family member play vital role to support the requirement of
patient. There are condition in which patient are not able to handle the personal work that has to
be performed. It is essential that proper steps should be considered with the help of which people
will be able to get to satisfy their requirements. In addition to this, there should be effective
communication so that trust and confidence can be developed by the patient over the medications
that is being provided to them.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Anderson, J., & Malone, L. (2015). Chronic care undergraduate nursing education in
Australia. Nurse education today. 35(12). pp.1135-1138.
Davidson, P. M., Phillips, J. L., & Currow, D. C. (2016). Providing palliative care for
cardiovascular disease from a perspective of sociocultural diversity: a global view. Current
opinion in supportive and palliative care. 10(1). pp.11-17.
Deravin-Malone, L., & Anderson, J. (2016). Chronic Care Nursing. Cambridge University Press.
Josif, C. M., Kruske, S., & Barclay, L. M. (2017). The quality of health services provided to
remote dwelling aboriginal infants in the top end of northern Australia following health
system changes: a qualitative analysis. BMC pediatrics. 17(1). pp.93.
Kelly, J., Wilden, C., & Brown, S. (2016). Bottling knowledge and sharing it-using patient
journey mapping to build evidence and improve Aboriginal renal patient care. Renal
Society of Australasia Journal. 12(2). pp.48.
Marel, C., Mills, K. L., & Teesson, M. (2016). Guidelines on the management of co-occurring
alcohol and other drug and mental health conditions in alcohol and other drug treatment
settings . Australian Family Physician. 43(6). pp.337-416.
Mercer, C., Byrth, J., & Jordan, Z. (2014). The experiences of Aboriginal health workers and
non‐Aboriginal health professionals working collaboratively in the delivery of health care
to Aboriginal Australians: a systematic review. JBI Database of Systematic Reviews and
Implementation Reports. 12(3). pp.234-418.
Reed, F. M., Fitzgerald, L., & Bish, M. R. (2015). District nurse advocacy for choice to live and
die at home in rural Australia: A scoping study. Nursing ethics. 22(4). pp.479-492.
Treloar, C., Gray, R., Brener, L., & Newman, C. (2014). “I can’t do this, it’s too much”: building
social inclusion in cancer diagnosis and treatment experiences of Aboriginal people, their
carers and health workers. International journal of public health. 59(2). pp.373-379.
Zorbas, H., & Elston, J. (2016). Sharing the challenge of cancer control for Indigenous
Australians: a national agenda. European journal of cancer care. 25(2). pp.222-224.
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