Culturally Safe Health Practioner

Question 1

5 Corss-cultural Capabilities

Answer 1

1. Self- reflection
   Can you consider your own culture, position cultural beliefs, and interpret your own thoughts and feelings about other cultures
2. Cultural Understanding
   Can you determine and accommodate different needs, understanding how others’ behaviours may be influenced by culture
   Can you continue to employ self-reflection to explore differences and similarities across cultures
3. Context
   Can you acknowledge and consider the range of social and economic factors that may impact those who you are working with?
   Do you understand there are differences within cultures, including how everyone may (or may not) identify with their own culture
4. Communication
   Are you sensitive and adaptive to varying cultural norms in relation to verbal and non-verbal communication
   Are you able to be aware of, and overcome, potential barriers to effective cross-cultural communication
   Can you deliver information in culturally appropriate and targeted ways, communicating effectively across cultures or acknowledging when you may need interpreter assistance
   Do you avoid making assumptions or judgements about individuals based on their communication style – or identify when you are and understand how to mitigate this response
5. Collaboration
   Are you building trust and relationships with individuals across cultures, including working with individuals and families
   Are you working on forming formal and informal collaborative networks
   Do you value and facilitate the exchange of information across disciplines, facilitating community links
   Have you prioritised involving culturally diverse clients in decision-making processes and collaborative care

Question 2

Cultural Safety Continuum

Answer 2

Question 3

Cross Cultural Communication

Answer 3

• appreciating cultural differences and different ways of communication helps with engaging in respectful and meaningful interactions.
• many unique communication styles and protocols in different cultures. Therefore, develop your own communication style and adapt to the communication styles of others
• avoid making assumptions about how to communicate based on stereotypes.
• seek out advice on how to communicate or interact ‘the right way’.
• seek out a key community member or cultural advisor/mentor to better understand the power dynamics and environment you are working in.
• build rapport by active listening skills, and create a culturally safe environment.

Question 4

Building relationships

Answer 4

• build rapport by active listening skills, and create a culturally safe environment.
• be friendly and humble - shift the power structure
• find connections - hobbies, life context, family
• acknowledge and learn from mistakes

Question 5

Summary

Answer 5

It is vital that the Australian healthcare system embeds principles of cultural safety in the delivery of services as well as in the training and education of future health practitioners in order to provide culturally safe healthcare for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Becoming a culturally-safe practitioner requires self-awareness, self-reflection, and recognition of cultural differences.
Cultural safety supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients/patients/women to feel secure in their identity, to be empowered, and to engage in decision-making.
A strengths-based approach to healthcare provision challenges the pathological deficit-based model of thinking and focuses on health assets and health realisation, identifying opportunities and solutions.
Culturally safe healthcare provision is not solely the responsibility of individuals, but rather involves organisational and systems-based changed.
The journey to cultural safety requires continued personal and professional development and constant reflection on your cultural values and their implications for health and community services

Question 6

To ensure culturally safe and respectful practice that is free of racism, health practitioners must:

Answer 6

• Acknowledge colonisation and systemic racism, social, cultural, behavioural, and economic factors which impact individual and community health
• Acknowledge and address individual racism, their own biases, assumptions, stereotypes, and prejudices and provide care that is holistic, free of bias and racism
  Recognise the importance of self-determined decision-making, partnership and collaboration in healthcare which is driven by the individual, family, and community
• Foster a safe working environment through leadership to support the rights and dignity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and colleagues

Question 7

Racism occurs on multiple levels within and across multiple systems in Australia. According to Mellor (2003), forms of racism include:

Answer 7

• Verbal racism (e.g. name calling, insults, jokes)
• Behavioural racism (e.g. avoidance, assault)
  Institutional discrimination (e.g. denial of services)
• Macro-discrimination (e.g. media misinformation, selective views on Australian history)9

Question 8

To address racism in health care and human services To be culturally safe and responsive practitioner’s we must :

Answer 8

• Be self-aware – to be self-aware we must engage in continuous development of self-knowledge, including having an understanding our personal beliefs, assumptions, values, perceptions, attitudes and expectations, and how these impact relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
• Take responsibility and be accountable - Taking responsibility and being accountable means owning our role, including our Codes/Standards of Practice and Ethics. We must call out racism and discrimination, especially toward Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, families and communities. It is necessary to monitor progress in addressing inequities between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other Australians10