Implementation and evaluation of cultural safety initiatives in Australian hospital settings: A scoping review (19 November 2024)

Summary

Paper reporting on a scoping review that sought to ‘synthesise and summarise existing evidence for implementing and evaluating Cultural Safety initiatives in Australian hospitals for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ with a view to identifying best practices.

Content

Based on 9 studies, the review identified 5 themes:

1. Process of implementation.
2. Process of evaluation.
3. Change in health professional’s behaviour.
4. Change in patient behaviour.
5. Future recommendations.

The authors conclude that ‘significant improvement is needed in adopting evidence-based and carefully considered approaches to implementing and evaluating Cultural Safety initiatives in hospital settings. Specifically, implementation should be underpinned by a validated theoretical framework and consider and address potential practical barriers in engaging health practitioners.’