Auger Monique, Howell Teresa, Gomes Tonya
Indigenous Research Partnerships, University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver, BC.
Can J Public Health. 2016 Dec 27;107(4-5):e393-e398. doi: 10.17269/cjph.107.5366.
This study aimed to understand the role that traditional Indigenous health care practices can play in increasing individual-level self-determination over health care and improving health outcomes for urban Indigenous peoples in Canada.
This project took place in Vancouver, British Columbia and included the creation and delivery of holistic workshops to engage community members (n = 35) in learning about aspects of traditional health care practices. Short-term and intermediate outcomes were discussed through two gatherings involving focus groups and surveys. Data were transcribed, reviewed, thematically analyzed, and presented to the working group for validation.
When participants compared their experiences with traditional health care to western health care, they described barriers to care that they had experienced in accessing medical doctors (e.g., racism, mistrust), as well as the benefits of traditional healing (e.g., based on relationships, holistic approach). All participants also noted that they had increased ownership over their choices around, and access to, health care, inclusive of both western and traditional options. They stressed that increased access to traditional health care is crucial within urban settings.
Self-determination within Indigenous urban communities, and on a smaller scale, ownership for individuals, is a key determinant of health for Indigenous individuals and communities; this was made clear through the analysis of the research findings and is also supported within the literature. This research also demonstrates that access to traditional healing can enhance ownership for community members. These findings emphasize that there is a continued and growing need for support to aid urban Indigenous peoples in accessing traditional health care supports.
本研究旨在了解传统的原住民医疗保健做法在增强个人对医疗保健的自主决定权以及改善加拿大城市原住民健康状况方面所能发挥的作用。
该项目在不列颠哥伦比亚省温哥华市开展，包括创建并举办全面的工作坊，让社区成员（n = 35）参与学习传统医疗保健做法的各个方面。通过两次分别涉及焦点小组和调查的活动讨论了短期和中期结果。对数据进行了转录、审查、主题分析，并提交给工作组进行验证。
当参与者将他们在传统医疗保健方面的经历与西方医疗保健进行比较时，他们描述了在看医生过程中所遇到的就医障碍（例如，种族主义、不信任），以及传统疗法的益处（例如，基于人际关系、整体方法）。所有参与者还指出，他们在围绕医疗保健的选择以及获得医疗保健方面（包括西方和传统的选择）的自主权有所增加。他们强调，在城市环境中增加获得传统医疗保健的机会至关重要。
原住民城市社区的自决权，以及在较小范围内个人的自主权，是原住民个人和社区健康状况的关键决定因素；通过对研究结果的分析这一点很明确，并且在文献中也得到了支持。这项研究还表明，获得传统疗法可以增强社区成员的自主权。这些发现强调，持续且日益增长地需要提供支持，以帮助城市原住民获得传统医疗保健支持。
