Cultural barriers lead to inequitable healthcare access for aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders

摘要

Aims: This article seeks to address some of the factors, particularly cultural barriers, contributing to inequity in healthcare service provisions for indigenous Australians. Furthermore, this article presents ways for healthcare professionals to take action on culture-related health equity issues. Finally, this article addresses what nurses can do to support more operational interventions and enhance the quality of services for indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders.Background: Recently, scholarly literature in Australia has focused on the issue of ensuring equitable access to healthcare for aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders, who are regarded as economically, socially, politically and culturally disadvantaged (Larkins et al, 2016; Lowell, 2013).1,2However, in spite of significant efforts on the part of the Australian government, scholars, policy makers and communities to provide fair and equitable healthcare, this challenging and longstanding issue remains unresolved and needs to be addressed immediately (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2015; Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), 2011).3,4