Safety and Personal Protective Needs of the Individuals - Essay Example

Critical reflection: Safety and Health Capability Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Date Part A Figure 1: The Responder Safety and Health Competency Map Ever since the beginning of the First Peoples Health and Practice Course, I gained substantial interest in the health and safety capability. The motive behind the decision emanated from the fact that I had come across instances where the first peoples (Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders) have had to put up with discrimination on the critical life aspect of safety and health. In some cases, I have witnessed some of the victims of the discrimination succumb to death due to negligence. Having witnessed all thee happenings bearing in mind the existing literature that describes the challenges faced by the individuals, I found it necessary to train on the four major themes associated with the capability. The first theme entails understanding all the risks associated with safety and health. The second theme necessitates the understanding of the safety and personal protective needs associated with the capability. Moreover, I also realized that it was imperative to train on partner coordination aimed at facilitating risk-specific safety and health training. Finally, as a trained professional in providing safety and health services, I also realized that it was imperative to train on responding to the recommended safety and health actions. Part B Definition As mentioned above, responding to the responder safety and health takes into consideration four main capabilities. Prior to the understanding of the capabilities, it is necessary to understand the basics associated with the safety and health of the responder in relation to the first peoples in Australia. It is evident that the Aboriginals and the Torres Strait Islanders present the poorest health status as compared to the other groups in Australia. It is also worth noting that the even though the life expectancy of the non-indigenous Australians has risen over the last decades, the indigenous groups have portrayed significantly lower life status. The need for safety and health services for these individuals also emanate from the fact that the individuals record the highest rates of hospitalization for communicable and chronic diseases. As a result, they present the highest likelihood of succumbing to death as a result of the diseases. Gaining substantial expertise in addressing the health and safety needs of the first peoples necessitates ensuring that the disadvantaged group have access to affordable and equitable primary health care. Rather than encountering the burden of chronic and communicable diseases, the first peoples have also faced the challenge of infant and maternal mortality emanating from their access to poor midwifery and nursing services (Higgins et al., 2005). The other health risks that have led to the discrepancies in the health outcomes exhibited by the indigenous people include the inequitable access to clean water, fresh food and adequate nutrition (AIHW, 2011). The health risk has subjected the individuals to diseases and other illnesses associated with drinking unclean water and consuming unhealthy foods. The comparatively poorer financial statuses of the individuals in comparison to their non-indigenous counterparts provide a partial explanation for their inability to adopt good eating habits. The identification of the safety and personal protective needs of the individuals is the other theme associated with the capability. Apparently, addressing the health needs of the individuals requires the determination of the safety and protective needs of the individuals. Some of the required aspects include enhancing the ability of the individuals to access primary health care by availing the necessary health infrastructure close to their locations (Australian Nursing and Midwifery Cooperation, 2013). The other protective measure include guaranteeing the access to clean water and other sanitation services to either reduce or completely eliminate their exposure to health hazards. As a matter of fact, the efforts of healthcare professions are null and void in the absence of the necessary partner coordination. Being one of the themes covered under the topic, partner coordination is effective in ensuring the effective communication of the needs of the individuals to the concerned organisations that can take part in delivering primary health care or availing the required healthcare infrastructure. Finally, it is evident that the success of any health and safety improvement mission depends on continuous evaluation and monitoring efforts that assess the progress of the target group towards implementing the recommended healthcare measures as well as using the available healthcare infrastructure. Being a healthcare professional tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that the individuals gain access to proper healthcare, conducting continuous evaluation and monitoring is imperative towards guaranteeing the success of the project. The exercise ensures that the individuals adhere to the stipulated healthcare guidelines and measures that would play a major role towards improving their healthcare outcomes. Reflection As a healthcare professional, placing the interests of disadvantaged groups such as the indigenous people is a first priority. As a result, the objective of the health professional entails ascertaining that such individuals gain access to primary care and healthcare infrastructure. It is also evident that there are cases where such individuals do not understand the proper healthcare measures that are prerequisites for better health outcomes. In such cases, the healthcare profession requires all healthcare professionals to devote their efforts towards communicating proper healthcare measures to the individuals and conduct regular monitoring and evaluation to determine the success of their efforts on the target individuals. Just like in the case of other disadvantaged groups, the healthcare profession requires all professionals to understand the culture of the Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders before embarking on any healthcare mission. As a result, the professional should understand the longstanding impact and consequences of the European settlement as well as the existing cultural differences between the Torres Strait Islanders and the Aboriginals and the non-indigenous groups of individuals. For instance, the culture of the indigenous people emphasise on family, land, kinship, spirituality, community and connections. As a result, any healthcare professional that intends to conduct research on the individuals should understand their culture to guarantee acceptance by such minority groups of individual. The RACGP’s position statement on the treatment of the Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders is an indicator of the dedication of the entire healthcare sector towards treating the indigenous individuals positively. The statement heightens the significance of treating the first peoples positively as an indicator of the position held by the sector to the individuals. Moreover, the statement reveals that the healthcare sector manifested through its healthcare professionals will endeavour to improve the health of the Torres Strait Islanders and the Aboriginals as one of their principle objectives. Being one of the professionals in the sector, I agree with the statement. However, I also acknowledge the fact that the actual implementation of the words of the statement suffices to be the primary impediment to the attainment of the objective. There are some healthcare professionals that still discriminate against the indigenous groups in one way or the other. As a result, the success of the initiative ought to begin with the transformation of the culture of the non-indigenous professions that still consider the indigenous groups to be inferior in the society thereby deserving poor health services. In essence, the core principles that define the delivery of healthcare services include respect for the culture of the Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders, respect for the community, communication, consent and consultation and engagement and involvement (RACGP, 2013). It is worth noting that the above principles bear paramount significance to the success of the mission of the industry that entails improving the health outcomes of the Torres Strait Islanders and the Aboriginals. For instance, understanding the culture of the individuals as well as engaging them enhances their levels of confidence in the healthcare professionals. The principles communicate the point that the professionals acknowledge the existence of the indigenous individuals in the society and find it deserving and appropriate to offer proper healthcare services just as is the case with the non-indigenous groups. The healthcare profession also requires all professionals to recognise the social, environmental and emotional determinants of health. With regard to the Aboriginals and the Torres Strait Islanders, it is proper to state that their social determinants of health revolve around the treatment that they receive from the indigenous groups as well as incidences of domestic violence witnessed among some of the indigenous families (Department of Health and Ageing, 2013). Working with the Aboriginals also requires professionals to have a holistic view of health with regard to matters related to health. It is evident that the health of the Aboriginal not only entails the physical health; but it also includes the social, cultural and emotional wellbeing of the individuals. The healthcare professional should also understand that the indigenous individuals have the right to community control and self-determination in matters associated with health. Most importantly, the professional should understand the protocols that guarantee a healthy culturally respectful engagement. Such protocols encompass understanding the proper ways of describing the Torres Strait Islander and the Aboriginal people. Moreover, the professional should also understand the effective ways of describing the deceased in the community and a death in the community. Last but not least, the professional should understand the proper ways of seeking permission to deliver healthcare services or conduct a research. Permission entails determining the mission of the project, its target recipients and the duration of the project (National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan, 2013). Analysis In reference to the principles of the Australian health system, it is worth noting that the successful adherence to the principles will yield positive outcomes on the health of the Aboriginals and the Torres Strait Islanders. The principles encompass the adoption of human rights approach and health equality in the delivery of healthcare to all Australians. It is proper to argue that the principle is effective towards improving the perception held by the indigenous individuals about their non-indigenous counterparts. In the event that all healthcare systems exhibit equality in the delivery of healthcare services, the health outcomes of the indigenous people will improve since they consider other aspects rather than their physical wellbeing to be detrimental to their health. The priorities of the Australian healthcare system are also in accordance with the mission of improving the health outcomes of all citizens on the basis of equality. The principles also include the engagement and community control of the Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders (Walker et al., 2014). Apparently, engaging individuals in a research mission has the impact of increasing their confidence and trust in the endeavour (Jackson, 2006). In essence, engaging the indigenous Australians in healthcare missions and granting them community control enhances their confidence and trust in the project thereby increasing the likelihood of its success. In fact, the individuals will embrace the recommended healthcare measures with the idea that the healthcare system has adjusted the measures in accordance with their cultural values. Partnership suffices to be the other principle of the healthcare system in Australia. It is evident that establishing partnerships with relevant healthcare institutions and sponsors plays a significant role towards enhancing the access to healthcare services and healthcare infrastructure thereby improving the healthcare outcomes of the indigenous communities. Learning I have learnt several aspects associated with the delivery of healthcare services to the Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders. For instance, I have learnt that the healthcare professional should have an in-depth understanding of the culture of the indigenous people before delivering healthcare services to them. Just to mention, the indigenous individuals regard spirituality, land, family and kinship among other aspects highly. As a result, it is proper to engage them in the formulation and implementation of healthcare decisions to guarantee their acceptance by the local communities. In fact, it is bet practice for healthcare systems to grant community control to the indigenous groups to enhance their level of confidence and preference to the recommended healthcare practices. I have also learnt that it is proper to understand the protocols of the indigenous people while interacting with them. From the learning experience, I have realised that the culture of the indigenous groups form a basis for their protocols. As a healthcare professional, some of the protocols include understanding the proper way of describing the Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders, describing the deceased in the community and describing death. Finally, I have also learnt that core principles that a healthcare professional should have when interacting with indigenous Australians. The principles include respect for culture, respect for the community, consent, communication and consultation, engagement and involvement, and recognising the environmental, emotional and social determinants of health. Moreover, the healthcare professional should also bear a holistic perception towards health besides community control and self-determination. The acceptance and complexity principle is the final learning experience that I have gained. References Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). (2011). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child safety. Canberra. Australian Nursing and Midwifery Cooperation. (2014). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health. ANMF Position Statement. Department of Health and Ageing. (2013). National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention Strategy. Higgins, D., Bromfield, L., & Richardson, N. (2005). Enhancing out-of-home care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people. National Child Protection Clearinghouse, Australian Institute of Family Studies. Jackson, B. A. (2006). Information Sharing and Emergency Responder Safety Management. RAND Corporation. National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan 2013-2023. (2013). Closing the Gap. Commonwealth of Australia. The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners., The RACGP National Faculty of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health., & Healthy Australia. (2012). An Introduction to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health cultural protocols and perspectives. Walker, R., Schultz, C., & Sonn, C. (2014). Cultural Competence – Transforming Policy, Services, Programs and Practice. Dudgeon, P., Milroy, Walker, R. (Eds.). Working Together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health and Wellbeing Principles and Practice (pp. 195 – 220). Read More