Are primary health care services culturally appropriate for Aboriginal people: findings from a remote community

Objectives: To explore the views of key stakeholders on cultural appropriateness of Primary Health Care (PHC) services for Aboriginal people. Methods: A total of 78 participants, involving health care providers and administrative team members (n=24, ≈30% of study sample) and Aboriginal community members (n=54, ≈70% of study sample) living in remote North-West Queensland took part in this study. Outcome measures were assessed by administering survey questionnaires comprising of qualitative questions and various sub-scales, e.g., provider behaviours and attitudes, communication, physical environment and facilities, and support from administrative staff. Descriptive statistics were used to present quantitative findings, while inductive thematic analysis was used for qualitative data. Results: In contrast to the views of PHC providers, the majority of Aboriginal people did not perceive that they were receiving culturally appropriate services. The physical environment and facilities were inadequate in meeting the cultural needs of Aboriginal people. Though, PHC providers acknowledged cultural awareness training for familiarizing them with Aboriginal culture but found training to be general, superficial and lacking prospective evaluation. Conclusion: There is a gap between the perceptions of providers and Aboriginal consumers for cultural appropriateness of PHC services. PHC providers should understand that culturally inappropriate clinical encounters generate mistrust, and dissatisfaction, often leading to delays or refusal in seeking needed care. Therefore, a broad approach involving culturally respectful association between PHC providers, Aboriginal consumers and administrative staff is required to bring sustainable changes at the practice level to improve the health of Aboriginal people