Specialty Practice – developing strength‐based partnerships with Aboriginal people

Abstract

The job of a pharmacist is multifaceted in practice. A pharmacist needs, of course, to know their job in the pharmaceutical sense, but they also could benefit immensely by deeply understanding the complexities of the culture and background of any individual or groups that they deal with. When dealing in their professional capacity with the health and wellness of any Indigenous person, a ‘forewarned is forearmed’ scenario in relation to that patient's state of mind would be of enormous benefit. It is pertinent for any pharmacist to know that for the past 200 plus years, Indigenous Australians have suffered the indignity of policy consequences, one after the other, that in no small way accounts for the 21st Century reality of their social plight. From Dispersal in the 18th Century to Protection in the 19th Century to Assimilation to Integration to Self-Management1 in the 20th Century and finally to Reconciliation in the 21st Century, a sector of our society has been treated with practices based on a deficit model. Is it any wonder that engaging with them in the 21st Century has a legacy of inbuilt mistrust of the non-Indigenous culture? Instead of a deficit model of engagement, perhaps it is time for pharmacists to take a different approach. One befitting the narrative of explorers like Burke and Wills at least, whereby the deficit was acknowledged on the other side. Burke and Wills died of starvation in a place where the local Yandruwandha thrived. They even tried to help. Indigenous Australians are survivors, and that strength, when recognised and publicly acknowledged, could be a reverence-tainted narrative during any discourse with the pharmacy profession. A respect for and even admiration of this strength and appreciation of an individual's self-esteem could be the start of a productive and valuable pharmacist/patient relationship which fosters two-way learning. Additionally, much can be gained by partnering with the best conduits for engagement, i.e. respected people from within their community. From a patient perspective, speaking to people they know about medicine management issues could be much more productive than speaking to people they don’t know. Indirect engagement via a pharmaceutically competent (i.e. they have knowledge but not formal qualifications) community members, could be a real ice breaker. It would need a situation where these conduits are treated like peers and paid at professional rates. The proactive work done by these conduits has the real potential to dramatically improve meaningful engagement by the pharmacy profession and pharmacists with Indigenous communities and patients, and to be a game changer in reducing harm and improving outcomes associated with medicines use. The author declares that he has no conflicts of interest.