Indigenous Australians’ Experiences of Cancer Care: A Narrative Literature Review

Saira Sanjida, Gail Garvey, James Ward, Roxanne Bainbridge, Anthony Shakeshaft, Stephanie Hadikusumo, Carmel Nelson, Prabasha Thilakaratne and Xiang-Yu Hou ()
Additional contact information
Saira Sanjida: Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
Gail Garvey: School of Public Health, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
James Ward: Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
Roxanne Bainbridge: Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
Anthony Shakeshaft: Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
Stephanie Hadikusumo: Institute of Urban Indigenous Health, Windsor, Brisbane, QLD 4030, Australia
Carmel Nelson: Institute of Urban Indigenous Health, Windsor, Brisbane, QLD 4030, Australia
Prabasha Thilakaratne: Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
Xiang-Yu Hou: Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 24, 1-13

Abstract: To provide the latest evidence for future research and practice, this study critically reviewed Indigenous peoples’ cancer care experiences in the Australian healthcare system from the patient’s point of view. After searching PubMed, CINAHL and Scopus databases, twenty-three qualitative studies were included in this review. The inductive approach was used for analysing qualitative data on cancer care experience in primary, tertiary and transitional care between systems. Three main themes were found in healthcare services from Indigenous cancer care experiences: communication, cultural safety, and access to services. Communication was an important theme for all healthcare systems, including language and literacy, understanding of cancer care pathways and hospital environment, and lack of information. Cultural safety was related to trust in the system, privacy, and racism. Access to health services was the main concern in transitional care between healthcare systems. While some challenges will need long-term and collective efforts, such as institutional racism as a downstream effect of colonisation, cultural training for healthcare providers and increasing the volume of the Indigenous workforce, such as Indigenous Liaison Officers or Indigenous Care Coordinators, could effectively address this inequity issue for Indigenous people with cancer in Australia in a timely manner.

Keywords: indigenous people; aboriginal; cancer care; patients’ experiences; health communication; cultural safety; healthcare service; primary healthcare; hospital care; transitional care (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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