FHSc researchers investigate integration of Indigenous healing practices within delivery of health care in Canada
A group of researchers within the university's Faculty of Health Sciences (FHSc) were among the contributors to a paper entitled Integrating Indigenous healing practices within collaborative care models in primary healthcare in Canada: a rapid scoping review. The paper was recently published in The BMJ Open, an online, open-access journal that publishes medical research from all disciplines and therapeutic areas.
Co-authors included:
- Melissa Corso (lead author), FHSc PhD candidate (Community, Public and Population Health)
- Astrid Desouza, FHSc PhD candidate (Community, Public and Population Health)
- Dr. Ginny Brunton, Associate Professor, FHSc
- Dr. Hainan Yu, Research Project Manager at Â鶹´«Ã½'s Institute for Disability and Rehabilitation Research (IDRR)
- Dr. Carolina Cancelliere, Academic Associate and Canadian Chiropractic Research Foundation Research Chair in Knowledge Translation, FHsc
- Dr. Silvano Mior, Adjunct Professor, FHSc
- Anne Taylor-Vaisey, IDRR Research Associate
- Kathy MacLeod-Beaver, Aboriginal Patient Navigator with Lakeridge Health's Central East Regional Cancer Program
- Dr. Pierre Côté, Canada Research Chair in Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation
Research background:
In November 2020, a series of reports entitled described widespread Indigenous-specific stereotyping, racism and discrimination limiting access to medical treatment and negatively impacting the health and wellness of Indigenous peoples in British Columbia.
The researchers conducted a rapid-scoping review aimed to identify and synthesize strategies used to integrate Indigenous healing practices within collaborative care models available in community-based primary health care, delivered by regulated health professionals in Canada. The researchers found that collaborative and Indigenous-led strategies were more likely to facilitate and implement the integration of Indigenous healing practices. Commonalities across strategies included community engagement, elder support, or Indigenous ceremonies or traditions. However, they did not evaluate the effectiveness of these strategies.
