Bulletin 6

Public Health Conference
Our place, our health: local values and global directions.
26-29 September 1999, Carlton Hotel, The Esplanade, Darwin.

Lisa Jackson and Jeanette Ward
Identification of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women having babies in the King George V Hospital

Hospital staff appear reluctant to ask patients if they are Aboriginal. One study has found midwives only asked those women who 'looked Aboriginal'. The same study also concluded that many Aboriginal people will not self identify as they fear discriminatory remarks and poor treatment. There is likely to be an underestimate of reporting Indigenous status in hospitals of metropolitan Sydney. To our knowledge, no local study into this issue has been undertaken. We conducted this study to determine Aboriginality of a cohort of women admitted for their confinement to the KGV hospital; to independently validate admission documentation about the Aboriginality of these women, and finally to obtain feedback from the Indigenous women interviewed about their experiences to date at the KGV Hospital. This presentation will describe the method, eligibility criteria and initial findings. This study has been approved by the Aboriginal Health Resource Cooperative and the Central Sydney Area Health Service.

Australian Indigenous

HealthInfoNet

Conference abstracts



Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Bulletin An electronic publication from the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet Issue 6, November 1999 : ISSN 1329-3362 Conference abstracts Return to conference index Public Health Conference Our place, our health: local values and global directions. 26-29 September 1999, Carlton Hotel, The Esplanade, Darwin. Lisa Jackson and Jeanette Ward Identification of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women having babies in the King George V Hospital Hospital staff appear reluctant to ask patients if they are Aboriginal. One study has found midwives only asked those women who 'looked Aboriginal'. The same study also concluded that many Aboriginal people will not self identify as they fear discriminatory remarks and poor treatment. There is likely to be an underestimate of reporting Indigenous status in hospitals of metropolitan Sydney. To our knowledge, no local study into this issue has been undertaken. We conducted this study to determine Aboriginality of a cohort of women admitted for their confinement to the KGV hospital; to independently validate admission documentation about the Aboriginality of these women, and finally to obtain feedback from the Indigenous women interviewed about their experiences to date at the KGV Hospital. This presentation will describe the method, eligibility criteria and initial findings. This study has been approved by the Aboriginal Health Resource Cooperative and the Central Sydney Area Health Service. Return to conference index