In a recent event hosted by the NT Clinical Academy at Bella Alice wood-fired Pizza restaurant, Alice Springs clinical educators, healthcare providers, and Aboriginal Liaison Officers (ALOs) gathered to discuss the co-design of Goals of Care (GoC). The event was rich with insights and meaningful conversations, drawing a great turnout from professionals dedicated to understanding and improving patient care in culturally inclusive ways.
The session opened important discussions around the often-overlooked nuances that influence patient care. Conversations centered on cultural factors, communication challenges, and healthcare system limitations, with several clinicians experiencing “light bulb moments” as they delved into the complexities that impact the care journey for Aboriginal patients.
Key Themes from the Session
Why Do Patients Refuse or Delay Care?
Cultural Responsibilities: Attendees explored the vital role of cultural obligations in patient decision-making, especially as family dynamics often play a significant part. Understanding these responsibilities provides context and respect for the choices patients make regarding their care.
Information Overload: Miscommunication, often compounded by an overload of medical information, can delay treatment decisions. After the main conversation has been had with the doctors and other parties such as nursing staff have a conversation with the family to ensure the information has been received.
Highlighting Patient Concerns: Aboriginal patients often have pressing, non-medical concerns, such as family, pets, or financial worries, which are essential to their overall well-being. ALOs emphasised the importance of gathering and highlighting these concerns to integrate them into each patient’s care plan, offering more holistic support. The need for aboriginal patients to tell us their main concerns when in the hospital such as their grandchildren, dog, money concerns which the ALOs would like to be able to collect for the patients and have it highlighted to the ongoing care givers advanced personal plan for their admission social plan
Strategies for Building a Safe Space for Conversations
Customising Communication Tools: The use of storyboards and visual aids emerged as practical tools to help patients and families better understand the healthcare process. These simple tools can break down complex decisions, making the journey feel less intimidating and more manageable.
Safe Spaces for Conversations: A recurring suggestion was to create designated, ‘safe spaces’ for families and patients to openly discuss their Goals of Care. By providing time and comfort to process, these spaces foster a supportive environment for patients to voice their needs and concerns without pressure.
Addressing the Long-Term Impact of Healthcare Decisions
Support Groups for Continuous Conversations: Healthcare decisions often have emotional and practical consequences that extend well beyond a patient’s hospital stay. Establishing support groups and ongoing dialogue platforms was highlighted as essential for families needing continued support.
Storyboards as Tools for Clarity: Incorporating visual aids, such as storyboards, can clarify patients’ journeys, enabling them to understand and process the choices they face during critical moments.
Moving Forward Together
The session emphasised the importance of co-design and collaborative approaches in healthcare. Innovative strategies like tailored communication tools and dedicated spaces for dialogue can bridge the gap between providers and patients, building trust and ensuring patients’ voices are genuinely heard.
The session underscored the importance of collaboration and co-design in healthcare, highlighting innovative strategies to improve communication and trust between healthcare providers and patients and the need to find who is our patient and what their wishes are before navigating choices from a health care facility.
For further information, including how to join the NT Clinical Academy click here or contact fnt.rth@flinders.edu.au