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Perspectives of Aboriginal People Affected by Cancer on the Need for an Aboriginal Navigator in Cancer Treatment and Support: A Qualitative Study

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians suffer higher rates of cancer and poorer outcomes than the wider population. These disparities are exacerbated by rurality and remoteness due to reduced access and limited engagement with health services. This study explored the cancer journeys of Ab...

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Autores principales: Thackrah, Rosalie D., Papertalk, Lenelle P., Taylor, Karen, Taylor, Emma V., Greville, Heath, Pilkington, Leanne G., Thompson, Sandra C.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2022
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9819407/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36611574
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11010114
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author Thackrah, Rosalie D.
Papertalk, Lenelle P.
Taylor, Karen
Taylor, Emma V.
Greville, Heath
Pilkington, Leanne G.
Thompson, Sandra C.
author_facet Thackrah, Rosalie D.
Papertalk, Lenelle P.
Taylor, Karen
Taylor, Emma V.
Greville, Heath
Pilkington, Leanne G.
Thompson, Sandra C.
author_sort Thackrah, Rosalie D.
collection PubMed
description Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians suffer higher rates of cancer and poorer outcomes than the wider population. These disparities are exacerbated by rurality and remoteness due to reduced access and limited engagement with health services. This study explored the cancer journeys of Aboriginal patients and carers, and their views on the establishment of an Aboriginal Patient Navigator role within the Western Australian healthcare system to support cancer patients and their families. Sixteen Aboriginal participants were interviewed either face to face, by telephone, or via video conferencing platforms. The interviews were then recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed using standard qualitative techniques. Close consultation within the research team enhanced the rigour and robustness of the study findings. Patients and carers identified many gaps in cancer service delivery that made their experiences stressful and unnecessarily complex. Challenges included a lack of stable accommodation, financial burdens, constant travel, being “off-Country”, and miscommunication with health professionals. Key sources of support and strength were the centrality of family and ongoing cultural connectedness. All participants were supportive of an Aboriginal Patient Navigator role that could address shortfalls in cancer service delivery, especially for patients from rural and remote communities. A culturally safe model of support has the potential to increase access, reduce anxiety and improve health outcomes.
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spelling pubmed-98194072023-01-07 Perspectives of Aboriginal People Affected by Cancer on the Need for an Aboriginal Navigator in Cancer Treatment and Support: A Qualitative Study Thackrah, Rosalie D. Papertalk, Lenelle P. Taylor, Karen Taylor, Emma V. Greville, Heath Pilkington, Leanne G. Thompson, Sandra C. Healthcare (Basel) Article Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians suffer higher rates of cancer and poorer outcomes than the wider population. These disparities are exacerbated by rurality and remoteness due to reduced access and limited engagement with health services. This study explored the cancer journeys of Aboriginal patients and carers, and their views on the establishment of an Aboriginal Patient Navigator role within the Western Australian healthcare system to support cancer patients and their families. Sixteen Aboriginal participants were interviewed either face to face, by telephone, or via video conferencing platforms. The interviews were then recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed using standard qualitative techniques. Close consultation within the research team enhanced the rigour and robustness of the study findings. Patients and carers identified many gaps in cancer service delivery that made their experiences stressful and unnecessarily complex. Challenges included a lack of stable accommodation, financial burdens, constant travel, being “off-Country”, and miscommunication with health professionals. Key sources of support and strength were the centrality of family and ongoing cultural connectedness. All participants were supportive of an Aboriginal Patient Navigator role that could address shortfalls in cancer service delivery, especially for patients from rural and remote communities. A culturally safe model of support has the potential to increase access, reduce anxiety and improve health outcomes. MDPI 2022-12-30 /pmc/articles/PMC9819407/ /pubmed/36611574 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11010114 Text en © 2022 by the authors. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
spellingShingle Article
Thackrah, Rosalie D.
Papertalk, Lenelle P.
Taylor, Karen
Taylor, Emma V.
Greville, Heath
Pilkington, Leanne G.
Thompson, Sandra C.
Perspectives of Aboriginal People Affected by Cancer on the Need for an Aboriginal Navigator in Cancer Treatment and Support: A Qualitative Study
title Perspectives of Aboriginal People Affected by Cancer on the Need for an Aboriginal Navigator in Cancer Treatment and Support: A Qualitative Study
title_full Perspectives of Aboriginal People Affected by Cancer on the Need for an Aboriginal Navigator in Cancer Treatment and Support: A Qualitative Study
title_fullStr Perspectives of Aboriginal People Affected by Cancer on the Need for an Aboriginal Navigator in Cancer Treatment and Support: A Qualitative Study
title_full_unstemmed Perspectives of Aboriginal People Affected by Cancer on the Need for an Aboriginal Navigator in Cancer Treatment and Support: A Qualitative Study
title_short Perspectives of Aboriginal People Affected by Cancer on the Need for an Aboriginal Navigator in Cancer Treatment and Support: A Qualitative Study
title_sort perspectives of aboriginal people affected by cancer on the need for an aboriginal navigator in cancer treatment and support: a qualitative study
topic Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9819407/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36611574
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11010114
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