Lowitja Institute Publishing

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Fredericks, B. & Legge, D. 2011, Revitalizing Health for All: International Indigenous Representative Group. Learning from the Experience of Comprehensive Primary Health Care in Aboriginal Australia—A Commentary on Three Projects, The Lowitja Institute, Melbourne.

This paper presents a regional commentary on the three Australian projects of the Teasdale-Corti Global Health Research Partnership Program. The three Australian projects are: Victorian Aboriginal Health Service Ltd (VAHS), Melbourne, Victoria—Forty Years of Comprehensive Primary Health Care; Central Australian Aboriginal Congress Inc. (Congress), Alice Springs, Northern Territory—Ingkintja, Male Health Program; and Urapuntja Health Service (UHS), Utopia, Northern Territory—Outstation Health Care. It highlights common themes and lessons in respect to the Revitalising Health for All project in the context of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health in Australia.

Howse, G. 2011, Legally Invisible—How Australian Laws Impede Stewardship and Governance for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health, The Lowitja Institute, Melbourne.

This paper explains the options available for Australian governments to articulate and allocate responsibilities for the health and health care of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in an enduring, reliable form. It was commissioned by the Lowitja Institute – Australia’s National Institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research in response to widespread recognition of problems in the policy and administrative arrangements for health and health care for Australia’s First Peoples, including lack of clarity about the responsibilities of governments at various levels.  

To purchase a hardcopy ($!5 postage and packaging), please email publications@lowitja.org.au.

Dwyer, J., Kelly, J., Willis, E., Glover, J., Mackean, T., Pekarsky, B. & Battersby, M. 2011, Managing Two Worlds Together: City Hospital Care for Country Aboriginal People—Project Report, The Lowitja Institute, Melbourne.

The Managing Two Worlds Together project aims to add to existing knowledge of what works well and what needs improvement in the system of care for Aboriginal patients from rural and remote areas of South Australia (and parts of the Northern Territory). It explores their complex patient journeys and what happens when they come to Adelaide for hospital care.

This report focuses on stage 1 of the project.  It explores patterns of admission and patient journeys and staff experiences.

Dwyer, J., Kelly, J., Willis, E., Glover, J., Mackean, T., Pekarsky, B. & Battersby, M. 2011, Managing Two Worlds Together: City Hospital Care for Country Aboriginal People—Community Summary, The Lowitja Institute, Melbourne.

This community summary is a 4 page document that summarises the project, the main finding and recommendations.  More details can be found in the full Project Report (above).

Glover, J. & Freeman, M. 2011, Managing Two Worlds Together: Study 1—Report on Admissions and Costs, The Lowitja Institute, Melbourne.

This study analyses the patterns of admission and length of stay of country Aboriginal patients in city public hospitals.

Dwyer, J., Kelly, J., Willis, E., Mackean, T., Battersby, M., Pekarsky, B. & Glover, J. 2011, Managing Two Worlds Together: Study 2—Staff Perspectives on Care for Country Aboriginal Patients, The Lowitja Institute, Melbourne.

This study reports the views of staff who provide care for country Aboriginal patients in city and country hospitals and health services.

Kelly, J., Dwyer, J., Mackean, T., Willis, E., O’Donnell, K., Battersby, M. & Pekarsky, B. 2011, Managing Two Worlds Together: Study 3—The Experiences of Patients and Their Carers, The Lowitja Institute, Melbourne.

This study is a first-hand report of rural Aboriginal patients and their carers.

Kelly, J., Pekarsky, B., Dwyer, J., Mackean, T., Willis, E., Glover, J. & Battersby, M. 2011, Managing Two Worlds Together: Study 4—Complex Country Aboriginal Patient Journeys, The Lowitja Institute, Melbourne.

This study maps four journey case studies, and analyses gaps and breakpoints in those care journeys.

McCoy, B. F. 2011, Art into Health: Puntu Palyarrikuwanpa (Aboriginal Men Becoming Well), The Lowitja Institute, Melbourne. [ISBN 978-1-921889-11-0]

This beautiful full-colour booklet describes a unique collection of 15 paintings through which Aboriginal men from the Western Desert offer their perspectives on their lives and wellbeing through art. Using contemporary techniques and methods, the artists present a wide range of narratives thatlink ancient ways of understanding and describing their world today. The collection, therefore, provides an important and valuable body of knowledge about Aboriginal health.

Copies can be purchased for $15 each (post and handling included).  Enquiries by email to publications@lowitja.org.au .

Silburn, K., Thorpe, A. & Anderson, I. 2011, Taking Care of Business: Corporate Services for Indigenous Primary Health Care Services – Overview Report, The Lowitja Institute, Melbourne.  

This is an overview of the Support Systems Project, which focused on corporate support for Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs). The aim of the project was to contribute to improving the viability and sustainability of ACCHSs as corporate entities through examining the corporate support needs of ACCHSs, the issues associated with obtaining appropriate support and existing support structures.

The report highlights the capacity of the ACCHS sector to develop innovative solutions to difficult issues while working in a quickly changing environment. Additional resources are likely to enable further innovation. Such work should contribute to stronger and more viable health services for Aboriginal communities.

The Taking Care of Business ... Summary Report is also available.

Silburn, K., Thorpe, A. & Anderson, I. with Bila Muuji Health Services Incorporated, Central Australian Aboriginal Congress, Katherine West Health Board, and Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council 2011, Taking Care of Business: Corporate Services for Indigenous Primary Health Care Services – Case Studies, The Lowitja Institute, Melbourne.

This report focuses specifically on existing models for sharing corporate services and highlights the different ways those working in the sector have developed strategies for addressing their specific needs. Four case studies of organised support structures are documented. These are:

• Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council,
• Bila Muuji Health Services Incorporated,
• Katherine West Health Board, and
• Central Australian Aboriginal Congress.

Laycock, A. with Walker, D., Harrison, N. & Brands, J. 2011,  Researching Indigenous Health: A Practical Guide for Researchers, The Lowitja Institute, Melbourne. [ISBN 978-1-921889-03-5]

Indigenous health research needs to be driven by priorities set by Indigenous people, to be of practical use to the Indigenous health sector and to develop research capacity within the Indigenous community.  The Lowitja Institute and its predecessor the CRC for Aboriginal Health, have developed resources in response to a growing need for resources in this area.

The Guide includes the history, context, values and change priorities of Indigenous health research in Australia and the planning and management of Indigenous health research projects. It offers practical information, advice, strategies and success stories in Indigenous health research.

To obtain a copy, download an order form from the Researchers Guide page.

Kowal, E., Rouhani, L. & Anderson, I. 2011, Genetic Research in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities: Beginning the Conversation, The Lowitja Institute, Melbourne.

Genetics is at the forefront of medical research, but it is rarely used in Indigenous health research projects. This discussion paper is the outcome of the first ever national discussion of the conduct of genetic research in Indigenous communities in Australia convened by the Lowitja Institute in 2010. It reviews the ethical issues relevant to genetic research in an Australian Indigenous context; existing guidelines for genetic research in indigenous communities internationally; and literature on genetic literacy in Indigenous contexts. Finally, the discussion paper presents a summary of the productive and challenging conversations at the roundtable.

Martini, A., Marlina, U., Dwyer, J., Lavoie, J., O’Donnell, K. & Sullivan, P. 2011, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service Funding: Report to the Sector 2011, The Lowitja Institute, Melbourne.

This report presents findings from an analysis of the funding received by 28 Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs) in the 2007/2008 financial year and the reporting requirements attached to that funding. This study’s aim was to contribute to efforts – on the part of both governments and the ACCHS sector – to streamline and simplify funding and accountability arrangements.

We undertook this survey as a follow-up to The Overburden Report (2009). Our aim was to update the information from the first study with data from a larger sample and a more recent financial year.

Schierhout, G., Brands, J. & Bailie, R. 2010, Audit and Best Practice for Chronic Disease Extension Project, 2005–2009: Final Report, The Lowitja Institute, Melbourne.

Abstract: The Audit and Best Practice for Chronic Disease (ABCD) Extension project was an action research project designed to improve the quality of services for the prevention and management of chronic disease among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across Australia. This report draws on analyses of data from use of the quality improvement tools in health centres from 2005 to 2009; data from community survey tools; report templates; and purposively structured dialogue and in-depth interviews with implementers and other key informants. It aims to synthesise lessons that have been learned from these diverse data sources about the factors that are important for effective implementation of the ABCD approach and to identify areas for further research.

Helps, Y., Moodie, D. & Warman, G. 2010, Aboriginal People Travelling Well: Community Report, The Lowitja Institute, Melbourne.

Abstract: The research described in this report focuses on the interaction between access to safe transport and the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal people in several distinct South Australian Aboriginal communities (urban, regional and remote). It draws on the fragmented literature and, through interviews and focus groups with Aboriginal people and their service providers, starts to develop a coherent view of the issues and possible responses.

Kelaher, M., Parry, A., Day, S., Paradies, Y., Lawlor, J. & Solomon, L. 2010, Improving the Identification of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People in Mainstream General Practice, The Lowitja Institute, Melbourne.

Abstract: Better identification of Indigenous patients in general practices would improve their access to Medicare benefits such as health checks that could help ‘Close the Gap’, yet many GPs don’t consider ethnicity to be relevant to quality of care.  This study reviewed the effectiveness of strategies that aim to improve the identification of Indigenous people.
 
National data and research evidence indicate that less than one third of general practices routinely collect information on the Indigenous status of patients. Improved identification of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients would support new ‘Closing the Gap’ initiatives to extend the delivery of routine health checks and chronic disease management services.