Abstract
Aim:To explore health professionals’ perspectives on communication, continuity and between-service coordination for improving cancer care for Indigenous people in Queensland.Methods:Semi-structured interviews were conducted in a purposive sample of primary health care (PHC) services in Queensland with Indigenous and non-Indigenous health professionals who had experience caring for Indigenous cancer patients in the PHC and hospital setting. The World Health Organisation integrated people-centred health services framework was used to analyse the interview data.Results:Seventeen health staff from six Aboriginal Community Controlled Services and nine health professionals from one tertiary hospital participated in this study. PHC sites were in urban, regional and rural settings and the hospital was in a major city. Analysis of the data suggests that timely communication and information exchange, collaborative approaches, streamlined processes, flexible care delivery, and patient-centred care and support were crucial in improving the continuity and coordination of care between the PHC service and the treating hospital.Conclusion:Communication, collaboration and care coordination are integral in the provision of quality cancer care for Indigenous Australians. It is recommended that health policy and funding be designed to incorporate these aspects across services and settings as a strategy to improve cancer outcomes for Indigenous people in Queensland.
Highlights
The coordination of cancer care for Indigenous Australians has been recognised as critical in addressing Indigenous patients’ needs, for example in relation to navigating the health system, providing essential information and communication and ensuring cultural safety [1]
Pathways for accessing cancer care for Indigenous Australians can be more complex than for other Australians, with additional challenges for them relating to culture, language, and lack of familiarity with navigating services and institutions in the wider health care system [11]
Six Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs) out of the seventeen services invited agreed to participate in the health professional interviews
Summary
The coordination of cancer care for Indigenous Australians has been recognised as critical in addressing Indigenous patients’ needs, for example in relation to navigating the health system, providing essential information and communication and ensuring cultural safety [1]. ¶ Southside Clinical School, University of Queensland, Brisbane Queensland, AU munication between services; delays in receiving timely hospital information; language and cultural barriers; distance to treatment; as well as providing cultural support and having hospital facilities that accommodate extended families [1,2,3,4]. These challenges often stem from health system design, structures and limitations [1]. Socio-economic impacts of accessing cancer care may need to be considered [12]
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