Communication, collaboration and care coordination: the three-point guide to cancer care provision for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.

de Witt A.Matthews V.Bailie R.Garvey G.Valery P.C.Adams J.Martin J.H.Cunningham F.C.2024-11-192024-11-1920202020-06-17International Journal of Integrated Care. Vol.20(2), 2020, pp. 1-16.https://dx.doi.org/10.5334/ijic.5456https://lowitja.intersearch.com.au/handle/1/536Aim: To explore health professionals' perspectives on communication, continuity and between-service coordination for improving cancer care for Indigenous people in Queensland. Method(s): 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. Result(s): 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(s): 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. Copyright © 2020 The Author(s).Communication, collaboration and care coordination: the three-point guide to cancer care provision for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.ArticleCancerCultural safetyHealthcare workforce(de Witt, Garvey, Valery, Cunningham) Menzies School of Health Research, Brisbane Queensland, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, Australia(de Witt, Valery) QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia(Matthews, Bailie) University Centre for Rural Health, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia(Adams) Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia(Martin) School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia(Martin) Southside Clinical School, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia