Abstract
One-third of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population are adolescents. Recent data highlight their health needs are substantial and poorly met by existing services. To design effective models of primary healthcare, we need to understand the enablers and barriers to care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adolescents, the focus of this study. This protocol was codesigned with Apunipima Cape York Health Council that supports the delivery of primary healthcare for 11 communities in Far North Queensland. We framed our study around the WHO global standards for high-quality health services for adolescents, adding an additional standard around culturally safe care. The study is participatory and mixed methods in design and builds on the recommended WHO assessment tools. Formative qualitative research with young people and their communities (exploring concepts in the WHO recommended quantitative surveys) seeks to understand demand-side enablers and barriers to care, as well as preferences for an enhanced response. Supply-side enablers and barriers will be explored through: a retrospective audit of clinic data (to identify current reasons for access and what can be strengthened); an objective assessment of the adolescent friendliness of clinical spaces; anonymous feedback from adolescent clients around quality of care received and what can be improved; and surveys and qualitative interviews with health providers to understand their perspectives and needs to provide enhanced care. This codesigned project has been approved by Apunipima Cape York Health Council and Far North Queensland Human Research Ethics Committee. The findings from this project will inform a codesigned accessible and responsive model of primary healthcare for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adolescents.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | e046459 |
| Journal | BMJ Open |
| Volume | 11 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 29 Apr 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:1Wardliparingga Aboriginal Health Equity Theme, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia 2Global Adolescent Health Group, Maternal Child and Adolescent Health Program, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 3Melbourne School for Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 4Apunipima Cape York Health Council, Cairns, Queensland, Australia 5James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia 6Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia 7Menzies School of Health Research, Casuarina, Northern Territory, Australia 8Ngaoara Aboriginal Child and Adolescent Wellbeing, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia Contributors The study design was led by TR and TP with the support and supervision of AB, OP, YC-J, MW, RK and PSA. SW joined the research team in early 2020 and has led the implementation of efforts since, including establishment of the study’s advisory group. All authors (TR, TP, SW, MW, YC-J, AB, RK, JN, CS, NB, EK, JH, OP and PSA) contributed to the drafting of the manuscript, critically reviewed its content and approved its publication. Funding This work was supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council-funded programme ‘Improving Health Outcomes in the Tropical North: a multidisciplinary collaboration (Hot North)’, grant identification number 1131932. Competing interests None declared. Patient consent for publication Not required.
Publisher Copyright:
© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.
Copyright:
Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
