Best Practices For Aboriginal And/or Torres Strait Islander Women’s Mental Health: An Analysis Of NMBA 2018 Code Of Conduct For Nurses

Importance of Addressing Mental Health Issues in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women

Mental health issues have been ignored and overlooked with specific emphasis on the proportion of women population belonging to the aboriginal community (Acharya et al., 2017). Mental health issues have been perceived with a stigmatized belief by the members within the community. In accordance to the evidences revealed by the research studies, a major gap has been detected in the quality of healthcare facilities provided to the aboriginal and the non –aboriginal proportion of the Australian population. In order to address the gap, the Australian government has undertaken steps to introduce a reform in the structure and quality of health care services offered to the people. As per the NMBA code of conduct, Principle 3.3, mentions that nursing professionals must commit to maintaining an efficient flow of communication. The communication must be maintained in a clear and articulate manner between colleagues so as to meet the privacy requirements and serve the patient in a better manner (Chiarella & Adrian, 2014). Nursing professionals strictly adhere to the NMBA code of conduct while delivering care. While dealing with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients, it is extremely important for the nursing professional to be culturally competent while devising interventions.

Research papers have stated that the aboriginal set of population hesitate to utilize the medical health facilities on account of stigmatized beliefs of the healthcare professionals. In order to reform the scenario, it is pivotal to impart training so as to ensure cultural competency among the care givers dealing with the patients (Turong et al., 2014). The training in cultural safety includes consideration of elements such as age, gender, ethnic background, religious and health values.

It should be noted here that medical issues in aboriginal women have revolved around physical health of women, comprising reproductive health and child health and wellness. Issues regarding women’s mental health have not been much researched upon. However, mental disorders such as stress, depression and trauma have been most common in aboriginal women. In this context, it can be said that literary evidences reveal poor experiences of aboriginal women on account of compromised cultural safety, ineffective tone of language and improper service deliver. Further mental health issues are looked down within the aboriginal community and seclusion is often considered as an option for women (Krimayer et al., 2013). Hence, it can be concluded that there is an increasing need to reform the standard of medical health services provided to the members of the aboriginal community with respect to ensuring cultural safety and positive patient outcome.

NMBA Code of Conduct for Nurses – Principle 3: Cultural Practice and Respectful Relationships

Mental health nursing considerations must involve a smooth flow of communication between the patient and the nursing professional and the team of caregivers responsible for assisting the patient (Fortinash & Worret, 2014). It should be noted here that maintenance of a smooth communication style is important so as to ensure a patient centered holistic treatment and avoidance of any medical error. In addition to effective communication it is also important to educate the patient and the concerned family members about the medical health condition and the rationale behind implementing the treatment procedure. Also, it is important to spread awareness about mental health well-being within the community so as to educate the community members about the seriousness of the implication of disease if left untreated. Further, imparting training with respect to incorporating cultural competence in professional practice is expected to help the care givers in providing culturally safe interventions and achieve positive patient outcomes (Herring et al., 2013). The National Mental Health Consumer and Career Forum (NMHCCF) aims to assist the consumers with mental health issues and assist them to take ownership of the problem and involve them in equal partnership so as to deliver a holistic recovery (Clifford et al., 2015). Further, it can be recommended that in order to provide a holistic improvement it is necessary for the care givers to work in collaboration with the physical health and activities of daily living. The care givers engaged in the treatment process would be respectful towards the patients and patiently address the concerns by building a therapeutic relationship. Initiatives to create awareness using effective community programs can effectively help in making the community members aware about the intervention facilities available and the government aid schemes that could be used in order to upgrade the quality of services offered to the aboriginal community.

References:

Acharya, B., Maru, D., Schwarz, R., Citrin, D., Tenpa, J., Hirachan, S., … & Kohrt, B. (2017). Partnerships in mental healthcare service delivery in low-resource settings: developing an innovative network in rural Nepal. Globalization and health, 13(1), 2.

Chiarella, M., & Adrian, A. (2014). Boundary violations, gender and the nature of nursing work. Nursing ethics, 21(3), 267-277.

Clifford, A., McCalman, J., Bainbridge, R., & Tsey, K. (2015). Interventions to improve cultural competency in health care for Indigenous peoples of Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA: a systematic review. International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 27(2), 89-98.

Fortinash, K. M., & Worret, P. A. H. (2014). Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing-E-Book. Elsevier Health Sciences,pp.62

Herring, S., Spangaro, J., Lauw, M., & McNamara, L. (2013). The intersection of trauma, racism, and cultural competence in effective work with aboriginal people: Waiting for trust. Australian Social Work, 66(1), 104-117.

Kirmayer, L. J., Guzder, J., & Rousseau, C. (Eds.). (2013). Cultural consultation: Encountering the other in mental health care. Springer Science & Business Media.

Truong, M., Paradies, Y., & Priest, N. (2014). Interventions to improve cultural competency in healthcare: a systematic review of reviews. BMC health services research, 14(1), 99.

• Child injury within the bathroom and garage areas are the most reported cases of accidents
• Approximately 150 children die in Australia every year on account of minor to fatal injuries caused at home (Santagati et al., 2016)
• Approximately 68,000 children are hospitalized every year (Santagati et al., 2016)
• There are more reported case of accidents in aboriginal minors than non-indigenous minors in Australia (Moss et al., 2015) 

• Children aged between 3 to 5 years are highly inquisitive about the world around them (Osborne et al., 2014)
• Piaget’s developmental theory states that cognitive development is a combined effect of biological development and exposure to the external environment (Slee & Shute, 2014)
• In order to quench the thirst of curiousness children at this age often end up involving themselves in accidents in risk prone areas of the house, such as the bathroom and the garage (Walis et al., 2015) 

• The most common cause of accidents at a bathroom include (Watson & Errington, 2016):
• Falls on tripping over mats and wet floor
• Fatal and non-fatal drowning
• Burns on contact with hot water taps
• Cuts from razors or sharp blades
• Poisoning on swallowing house cleaners or disinfectants 

• Providing slip resistant bath mats near the shower or the bathtub to prevent slip and fall (Tatlow et al., 2017)
• Keeping the bathroom floor dry 
• Providing grab bars in the bathing area so that toddlers can grab the bars while bathing
• Equipping the bathroom with shelves and cabinets so as to store disinfectants and floor cleaners in a safe place out of the reach of the toddlers (Schmertmann et al., 2013)
• Providing ample lighting in the bathroom area so as make it easier for them to use the restroom at night 

• Children should be taught to use the grab bars while bathing Children should be taught to keep the washroom clean and dry  
• Children should be strictly educated about the harmful effects of the chemicals like disinfectants (Millei & Cliff, 2014)
• Post-it notes like ‘Do not touch’ can be stuck to the bottles so as to prevent them from ingesting harmful chemicals (Greer et al., 2016) 

• Approximately 30,000 cases due to garage door injury are reported every year in the US ranging from mild to fatal (Fujita et al., 2013)
• Injured fingers
• Getting trapped under garage doors 

• Maintain a properly functioning garage door
• Be vigilant with the children
• Educate the children about garage door injuries (Kendrick et al., 2013) 

• Not run around inside the garage when vehicles are moving in or out
• Never bop down near the garage door when it is closing (Osborne et al., 2016)
• Never hide under a car if it is parked inside the garage 

• Accidents in bathroom and garages are the most common as far as kids safety is concerned
• Parents should actively engage in educating the children about the risk factors and take steps so as to  reduce these mishaps 

Reference

Fujita, Y., Fujita, M., & Fujiwara, C. (2013). Pediatric falls: Effect of prevention measures and characteristics of pediatric wards. Japan journal of nursing science, 10(2), 223-231. 

Greer, B. D., Neidert, P. L., & Dozier, C. L. (2016). A component analysis of toilet?training procedures recommended for young children. Journal of applied behavior analysis, 49(1), 69-84.

Kendrick, D., Young, B., Mason?Jones, A. J., Ilyas, N., Achana, F. A., Cooper, N. J., … & Mulvaney, C. (2013). Home safety education and provision of safety equipment for injury prevention. Evidence?Based Child Health: A Cochrane Review Journal, 8(3), 761-939.

Millei, Z., & Cliff, K. (2014). The preschool bathroom: Making ‘problem bodies’ and the limit of the disciplinary regime over children. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 35(2), 244-262.

Moss, B., Harper, H., & Silburn, S. (2015). Strengthening Aboriginal child development in central Australia through a universal preschool readiness program. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 40(4), 13.

Osborne, J. M., Davey, T. M., Spinks, A. B., McClure, R. J., Sipe, N., & Cameron, C. M. (2016). Child injury: Does home matter?. Social Science & Medicine, 153, 250-257.

Santagati, G., Vezzosi, L., & Angelillo, I. F. (2016). Unintentional injuries in children up to six years of age and related parental knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors in Italy. The Journal of pediatrics, 177, 267-272.