Sharing the True Stories
CRCAH Project No. CP35
Administering organisation
Charles Darwin University
Project Leader
Isaac Brown
Team members
Kerin Coulehan, Michael Christie, Gillian Gorham, Anne Lowell, Betja Marrnganyin, Bhavini Patel
Contact details
Associate Professor Michael Christie
Tel: 08 8946 7338
Fax: 08 8946 6593
Email: michael.christie@cdu.edu.au
CRCAH Program Manager
Barbara Beacham
Comprehensive Primary Health Care, Health Systems and Workforce program
Funding sources
CRC for Aboriginal Health, Amgen
In-kind contributors: Charles Darwin University, Royal Darwin Hospital
Partners involved
- Charles Darwin University
- Royal Darwin Hospital
- Nightcliff Renal Unit
- Menzies School of Health Research
- North-east Arnhem Land Aboriginal communities
- Aboriginal Resource and Development Services
Project summary
Sharing the True Stories (STTS) is a five-year research project that ran from 2001 to 2005 and focused on identifying and addressing barriers to effective communication between Aboriginal client groups and health staff in renal and hospital services in the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia. All the Aboriginal clients involved in the research program were Yolngu speakers from north-east Arnhem Land.
Summary of outcomes
The STTS research project has:
1. Contributed strategies and resources for building capacity in the Aboriginal health workforce and Aboriginal interpreter workforce in health towards more effective communicative and educative practices between healthcare providers and Aboriginal client and community groups.
2. Benefited participating Yolngu patients and family and community members by instituting more effective communication, better understanding and more control in decision making in renal care, particularly at Nightcliff Renal Unit.
Summary of project implementation
STTS, a longitudinal participatory action research project, was conducted in two stages.
- Stage One involved an ongoing interview process, using the skills of Aboriginal interpreters, to identify key strategies for the constructive stage.
- Stage Two involved evaluating these strategies to improve communication between health staff and their Indigenous clients.
Timeline: The original project milestones are as follows:
Stage 1 January to August 2001
Stage 2 September 2002 to June 2005
Publications
Kerin Coulehan, Isaac Brown, Michael Christie, Gillian Gorham, Anne Lowell, Betty Marr\anyin & Bhavini Patel 2005, Sharing the true stories, Evaluating strategies to improve communication between health staff and Aboriginal patients, STAGE 2 Report.
Anne Lowell, Isaac Brown, Betty Marr\anyin, Melinda Flack, Michael Christie, Paul Snelling. & Alan Cass 2005, Sharing the true stories, Improving communication between health staff and Aboriginal patients, STAGE 1 Report.
Alan Cass, Anne Lowell, Michael Christie, Paul Snelling, Melinda Flack, Betty Marrnganyin and Isaac Brown, 2002, ‘Sharing the True Stories: Improving communication between Aboriginal patients and health care workers’, Medical Journal of Australia, vol. 176, no. 20, 466–70
Related links
Sharing the True Stories resources
Sharing the True Stories information on research transfer
[Page last updated 24.12.2009]