Oral Presentation Clinical Oncology Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting 2022

A communication skills module for non-Indigenous health care professionals supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with cancer (#142)

Donna Moroney 1 , Kerri Lucas 1 , Caroline Nehill 1 , David Williams 2 , Sophie Mor 2 , Dorothy Keefe 1 , Anna Boltong 1 3
  1. Cancer Australia, Strawberry Hills, NSW, Australia
  2. Gilimbaa Pty Ltd (Indigenous consultancy), West End, Queensland, Australia
  3. Kirby Institute, UNSW Medicine, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Austraila

Background

The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cancer Forum in February 2020, identified increasing the knowledge and expertise of health-professionals involved in cancer prevention and care of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as a key priority.

A series of videos were developed to enhance the communication skills of non-Indigenous health-professionals working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with cancer, their families and carers.

Methods

A multifaceted engagement strategy led by Gilimbaa, an Indigenous creative agency, sought best practice communication examples in cancer with Indigenous Australians.

Eight interviews were conducted with non-Indigenous oncologists and cancer care co-ordinators, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Liaison-Officers and Health-Workers, as well as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with cancer, their families and carers.  

Examples of best practice approaches from interviews were reviewed against the Optimal Care Pathway for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with cancer (OCP) which provides guidance for the delivery of culturally-safe and responsive cancer care. Supporting resources were developed, underpinned by the OCP and latest evidence. A dissemination strategy was executed focusing on clinical colleges.

Results

A series of short videos and a key-messages tip sheet were developed. These resources covered best practice communication at diagnosis; when delivering bad news; and managing recurrent, residual and metastatic disease. Since launching in November 2021, the webpage hosting these resources has achieved over 192K impressions, 66.3K reach, 2.6K clicks and 37K video views.

Conclusion

Non-Indigenous health-professionals can access practical advice and techniques for enhancing their communication skills to provide culturally safe and responsive care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with cancer, their families and carers. The resource can be viewed independently or can be incorporated into existing training courses and materials of clinical colleges and associations.