Enablers and Barriers to Accessing Healthcare Services for Aboriginal People in New South Wales, Australia

Davida Nolan-Isles, Rona Macniven, Kate Hunter, Josephine Gwynn, Michelle Lincoln, Rachael Moir, Yvonne Dimitropoulos, Donna Taylor, Tim Agius, Heather Finlayson, Robyn Martin, Katrina Ward, Susannah Tobin and Kylie Gwynne
Additional contact information
Davida Nolan-Isles: The Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Edward Ford Building A27, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia
Rona Macniven: The Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Edward Ford Building A27, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia
Kate Hunter: Faculty of Medicine and Health, The George Institute for Global Health, University of New South Wales, Newtown, NSW 2042, Australia
Josephine Gwynn: The Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Edward Ford Building A27, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia
Michelle Lincoln: Faculty of Health, The University of Canberra, Bruce, ACT 2617, Australia
Rachael Moir: The Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Edward Ford Building A27, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia
Yvonne Dimitropoulos: The Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Edward Ford Building A27, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia
Donna Taylor: Pius X Aboriginal Health Service, Moree, NSW 2400, Australia
Tim Agius: Durri Aboriginal Corporation Medical Service, 15-19 York Lane, Kempsey, NSW 2440, Australia
Heather Finlayson: Brewarrina Multipurpose Health Service, 56 Doyle Street, Brewarrina, NSW 2839, Australia
Robyn Martin: Mid North Coast Local Health District, Port Macquarie, NSW 2444, Australia
Katrina Ward: Brewarrina Aboriginal Health Service, 5-7 Sandon Street, Brewarrina, NSW 2839, Australia
Susannah Tobin: The Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Edward Ford Building A27, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia
Kylie Gwynne: The Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Edward Ford Building A27, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 6, 1-13

Abstract: Background: Australia’s healthcare system is complex and fragmented which can create challenges in healthcare, particularly in rural and remote areas. Aboriginal people experience inequalities in healthcare treatment and outcomes. This study aimed to investigate barriers and enablers to accessing healthcare services for Aboriginal people living in regional and remote Australia. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with healthcare delivery staff and stakeholders recruited through snowball sampling. Three communities were selected for their high proportion of Aboriginal people and diverse regional and remote locations. Thematic analysis identified barriers and enablers. Results: Thirty-one interviews were conducted in the three communities ( n = 5 coastal, n = 13 remote, and n = 13 border) and six themes identified: (1) Improved coordination of healthcare services; (2) Better communication between services and patients; (3) Trust in services and cultural safety; (4) Importance of prioritizing health services by Aboriginal people; (5) Importance of reliable, affordable and sustainable services; (6) Distance and transport availability. These themes were often present as both barriers and enablers to healthcare access for Aboriginal people. They were also present across the healthcare system and within all three communities. Conclusions: This study describes a pathway to better healthcare outcomes for Aboriginal Australians by providing insights into ways to improve access.

Keywords: indigenous; first nations; health services accessibility; health services administration; trust; communication; primary health care; health policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/6/3014/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/6/3014/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:6:p:3014-:d:517231

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().