FLIPPING THE SCRIPT: ADDRESSING CULTURAL IMBALANCES IN FIRST NATIONS KIDNEY RESEARCH
RHANEE LESTER1, KELLI OWEN1, DENISE CHAMPION1, SHELLANDER CHAMPION1, DEREK FORBES1, CHRISTINE FRANKS1, RAMON GADD1, JARED KARTINYERI1, TRUDY REID1, LILI SIMO1, MARISSA WILSON1, KIM O’DONNELL1,2
1The University of Adelaide Nursing School, Adelaide , Australia, 2Flinders University , Adelaide , Australia
Aim: To co-create strengths-based approaches to Indigenous Governance, embedding collective decision making and ensuring culturally safer spaces, responding to the needs and priorities of First Nations Peoples.
Background: First Nations Peoples experiencing kidney disease are strong and speak back to health systems, leading decolonising practices to co-create a culturally safe, anti-racist health system supported by effective, respectful partnerships. The Aboriginal Kidney Care Together – Improving Outcomes Now Reference Team (A2RT) are Australian First Nations Peoples with lived experience of kidney disease and impacts of lifelong treatment. Yarning about their involvement in leading research and decision-making provides a strong consumer voice.
Methods: AR2T centres cultural knowledges, practices and voices of Aboriginal Kidney Warriors, their families, and communities, with A2RT members involved in decision making through monthly face to face meetings. Relationality over-arches AKction2, as we share skills and knowledge, centering Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing (epistemology, ontology and axiology) across this project. Active decolonisation involves; Aboriginal people with lived experience of kidney disease positioned as chief investigators, First Nations’ cultural and ceremonial practice embedded for reciprocal learning and understanding throughout, with Indigenous leadership across 4 sub-studies: Indigenous Governance, Peer Support, Health Journey Mapping, and Cultural Safety.
Results: A2RT provides invaluable social, financial, and practical support for Kidney Warriors and their families, filling a current gap in mainstream kidney services. Their Indigenous Governance has led to culturally and clinically safer treatment, innovative models of care, and community priorities embedded within National Clinical/Cultural safety Guidelines.
Conclusions: Decolonising Kidney care with First Nations Peoples demands respectful relationship building, ongoing engagement, Indigenous Governance and leadership, and sustained funding to achieve lifesaving culturally safer practice.
Presentation Slides PDF – Click here
Biography:
Rhanee Lester is an Adnyamathanha woman with family and community ties to Port Augusta and the Northern Flinders Ranges in South Australia. Rhanee’s experience as a renal patient/consumer, having travelled to different parts of Australia accessing renal services, interacting and engaging with different medical personnel she has been able to observe where services are getting it right and where services need to be improved for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. She has a strong will to survive in order to live the best life she can, to be a beacon of hope and inspiration to others as she continues to tell her story of strength, resilience, perseverance and victories.