Section 3: Key Concepts Related to the Provision of Culturally-safe Approaches to Care

A recurring theme in a recent literature review regarding Indigenous women’s experiences with heart-related issues and care was their relationship with their HCP and its effect on caring for their heart health. For example, language barriers and communication resulted in many women feeling disengaged from their healthcare. More specifically, the use of medical jargon, lack of interpreters, and lack of information about how to live with and manage their illness had a negative impact on patient experience and ability to self-manage their health. An example of an enabling factor to positive patient experience included caring and respectful relationships with HCPs which in turn helped women to live well with heart illness and fostered a higher degree of trust. (Gomes et al., 2023).

As noted in module three, the notion of cultural safety is founded on the reality that Indigenous people experience chronic health conditions and health inequality that is related to colonialism and how it manifests in the healthcare system (Anderson-DeCoteau, 2016).

Many HCPs have completed a program in basic cultural safety training and have integrated cultural safety principles into their clinical practice. In previous modules you will have increased your awareness regarding specific issues that Indigenous women have identified related to their care and treatment of CVD/s. Issue such as mistrust of the healthcare system, experiences of racism and discrimination when accessing care and services, health system access barriers and a myriad of issues related to social determinants of health and health inequity.

Healthcare practitioners have expressed the need to learn more about Indigenous women with respect to CVD/s. Some practitioners in this study identified the limited access to curriculum in their training programs and more currently in their practice. This leaves many feeling unprepared or at best, having a limited knowledge base thus, impacting their clinical confidence when working with Indigenous women.