Browsing by Author "Haigh M.M."
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Item An exploration of underrepresentation of Aboriginal cancer patients attending a regional radiotherapy service in Western Australia.(2018-03-03) Lyford M.; Haigh M.M.; Baxi S.; Cheetham S.; Shahid S.; Thompson S.C.Travel logistics impede Aboriginal patients' uptake of cancer treatments and is one reason for the poorer outcomes of Aboriginal people with cancer. This research examined benefits of a newly established rurally based radiotherapy unit in southwest Western Australia (WA), and included exploring the experience of Aboriginal patients and possible reasons for Aboriginal people's underrepresentation in treatment. Semi-structured in-depth interviews with 21 service providers involved in the treatment and care of people with cancer, and 3 Aboriginal patients with cancer who undertook radiotherapy at the Service were undertaken. Data were subject to thematic analysis involving immersion in the data for familiarization, inductive coding, investigator discussion and refining of emerging themes and triangulation of patient and provider interviews. Aboriginal cancer patients were positive about the treatment and support they had received, highlighting the often complex challenges faced by rural Aboriginal cancer patients in accessing and maintaining treatment. Service providers offered suggestions for small numbers presenting to the Service, including late presentation, potential perceptions of cultural insensitivity on the part of service providers, out-of-pocket costs and under-ascertainment of Aboriginal status. The Service has put in place practices and initiatives to support patient health and wellbeing, including making the facility more welcoming towards Aboriginal people and ensuring culturally appropriate care.Copyright © 2018 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Item Australian cancer services: a survey of providers' efforts to meet the needs of Indigenous patients.(2018-11-01) Taylor E.V.; Haigh M.M.; Shahid S.; Garvey G.; Cunningham J.; Holloway M.; Thompson S.C.Objective: To examine where Indigenous Australians undergo cancer treatment and learn about specific service initiatives that have been implemented to meet their needs. Method(s): Public cancer treatment centres across Australia were invited to participate in an online survey about various characteristics of their centre, including the type of service provided, Indigenous patient numbers and policy, and implementation of Indigenous-specific initiatives. Result(s): Surveys were completed for 58 of 125 public cancer treatment centres. Almost half (47%) of the services saw more than 10 Indigenous patients per year, although Indigenous patients generally represented a small minority of patients. The most commonly reported initiatives were "having links with Indigenous health organisations in the community" (74% of services), "making a dedicated effort to address the needs of Indigenous patients" (69%) and proactively "creating partnerships with Indigenous communities and health organisations" (69%). Conclusion(s): The majority of respondents indicated that they were working to meet the needs of Indigenous patients and were interested in learning strategies from others to improve their services. More work is needed to describe and evaluate the specific initiatives that have been implemented. Implications for public health: Information from this study can assist cancer service providers to identify gaps in current services, plan new service delivery initiatives and ultimately improve Indigenous cancer outcomes. Copyright © 2018 The AuthorsItem Cancer services and their initiatives to improve the care of Indigenous Australians.(2018-04-18) Taylor E.V.; Haigh M.M.; Shahid S.; Garvey G.; Cunningham J.; Thompson S.C.Indigenous Australians continue to experience significantly poorer outcomes from cancer than non-Indigenous Australians. Despite the importance of culturally appropriate cancer services in improving outcomes, there is a lack of awareness of current programs and initiatives that are aimed at meeting the needs of Indigenous patients. Telephone interviews were used to identify and describe the Indigenous-specific programs and initiatives that are implemented in a subset of the services that participated in a larger national online survey of cancer treatment services. Fourteen services located across Australia participated in the interviews. Participants identified a number of factors that were seen as critical to delivering culturally appropriate treatment and support, including having a trained workforce with effective cross-cultural communication skills, providing best practice care, and improving the knowledge, attitudes, and understanding of cancer by Indigenous people. However, over a third of participants were not sure how their service compared with others, indicating that they were not aware of how other services are doing in this field. There are currently many Indigenous-specific programs and initiatives that are aimed at providing culturally appropriate treatment and supporting Indigenous people affected by cancer across Australia. However, details of these initiatives are not widely known and barriers to information sharing exist. Further research in this area is needed to evaluate programs and initiatives and showcase the effective approaches to Indigenous cancer care.Copyright © 2018 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.