Jen transparently offered the service of an Aboriginal Liaison Officer being present to acknowledge Ben and Peter’s cultural needs. The Stolen Generation and colonisation have made it hard for Aboriginal and Torres Islander people to trust healthcare providers, so recognising that fear and providing Ben and Peter with an ALO builds that rapport and belief to optimise health outcomes (Topp et al., 2022). Individual autonomy and freedom improves health and wellbeing, improves quality of care and allows patients to make fully informed choices about their care (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 2019). This scenario displayed choice by allowing Ben to engage in care with the Youth Social Emotional Wellbeing assessment and present an Aboriginal Liaison Officer, respecting his cultural identity. Collaboration involves overlooking the power differences and supporting shared decision making involving the patient, family, community and healthcare professionals. Nurse Jen and Aboriginal Liaison Officer Megan display collaboration through involving Ben and Peter in discussions about treatment options, ensuring all ideas are considered and evaluated to deliver the best care for …show more content…
Cultural safety requires nurses to deliver safe, accessible and responsive healthcare, eliminating racism and the power imbalance. It acknowledges, respects and accommodates cultural differences to provide the best care to individuals. In 2018-19, 243,662 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander did not access healthcare, with 32 percent indicating it was due to cultural reasons including language problems, discrimination and cultural appropriateness (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2023). Educating healthcare workers on the importance of cultural safety, improves health engagement and compliance, allowing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to build trust and prevent undiagnosed health conditions, reducing that burden. Taylor et al. (2022) states that insufficient cultural understanding leads to unmet mental health concerns, high rates of substance abuse, homelessness and undiagnosed co-morbidities resulting in early death. Health inequities among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are estimated to be approximately 7 to 9 years of gap in life expectancy due to poorer health status (NSW Aboriginal Health Fact Sheet, 2013). By eliminating unsafe cultural environments and creating welcoming community-based care, ATSI allows people to engage in care and access resources genuine to their culture,