UBCO research finds Canadian health care is not culturally inclusive

Canada’s health care system needs to step it up when it comes to cultural inclusion, according to University of British Columbia Okanagan research.

A recent study found that aboriginal people feel isolated because of health care practises in the country, which don’t make room for many of their values and beliefs.

Some of the apparent problems include limited visiting hours, the number of people allowed to visit a sick loved one at once, and an inability to have indigenous holistic medicinal practices incorporated in their care.

“While standards and policies are often used to make sure people are treated equally, the research is telling us that aboriginal people may feel that those standards are based on a culture that isn’t theirs,” said Rachelle Hole, lead researcher and co-director of UBC’s Centre for Inclusion and Citizenship. “When we have a practice where we’re treating everyone the same, we’re actually not recognizing diversity or the need for cultural safety.”

Hole said the concept of cultural safety started with the Maori people in New Zealand and takes into account cultural history and tradition.

She said recent steps by B.C.’s Interior Health authority is encouraging, including the fact that they have hired a full-time employee to help with cultural safety.

Hole’s study was conducted in cooperation with the Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA) and involved interviews with 28 aboriginal people who had been primary health care patients in B.C.’s Interior.

While some of the patients did have positive experiences in the health care system, mostly because of health care workers, most describe their experiences as negative.

“Cultural safety creates a space where Aboriginal people and hospital administrators and other practitioners can work together to improve the medical experience for our people,” said Pauline Terbasket, ONA executive director. “UBC Okanagan Research has provided the foundation for this partnership and this important cultural understanding and education awareness.”

Many participants said they felt like they weren’t being listened to or believed, they weren’t permitted to involve traditional healing practices in their healing and the fact that health care buildings were reminiscent of residential schools because of the structural make up.