Browsing by Author "Holloway M."
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
Results Per Page
Sort Options
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 Experiential learning to increase palliative care competence among the Indigenous workforce: an Australian experience.(2019-07-24) Shahid S.; Ekberg S.; Holloway M.; Jacka C.; Yates P.; Garvey G.; Thompson S.C.Objectives Improving Indigenous people's access to palliative care requires a health workforce with appropriate knowledge and skills to respond to end-of-life (EOL) issues. The Indigenous component of the Program of Experience in the Palliative Approach (PEPA) includes opportunities for Indigenous health practitioners to develop skills in the palliative approach by undertaking a supervised clinical placement of up to 5 days within specialist palliative care services. This paper presents the evaluative findings of the components of an experiential learning programme and considers the broader implications for delivery of successful palliative care education programme for Indigenous people. Methods Semistructured interviews were conducted with PEPA staff and Indigenous PEPA participants. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and key themes identified. Results Participants reported that placements increased their confidence about engaging in conversations about EOL care and facilitated relationships and ongoing work collaboration with palliative care services. Management support was critical and placements undertaken in settings which had more experience caring for Indigenous people were preferred. Better engagement occurred where the programme included Indigenous staffing and leadership and where preplacement and postplacement preparation and mentoring were provided. Opportunities for programme improvement included building on existing postplacement and follow-up activities. Conclusions A culturally respectful experiential learning education programme has the potential to upskill Indigenous health practitioners in EOL care. Copyright © 2019 Author(s).