, attachment]
- Assistance with problem solving and follow up [referrals, care-co-ordination, discharge planning]
- Assistance with implementing regional guidelines:
- Screening for perinatal anxiety and depression [Implementing the KMMS Study]
- Screening for gestational diabetes [ORCHID Study]
- On the job education and training, including assistance with use of electronic primary care systems.
To see if improvements in health care leads to improved health outcomes Nini regional child health workers (located in West and East Kimberley), are assessing neurodevelopment and anaemia levels in Kimberley Aboriginal babies and anaemia levels in their mothers when the baby is 6-10 months old.
Progress so far:
Australian pregnancy care guidelines note the importance of culturally safe care, but this is not always assured for Aboriginal women. Studies exploring Aboriginal women’s antenatal care experiences in various locations have identified local strengths and priority areas. Throughout the Kimberley, 124 Aboriginal women who had accessed antenatal care in 2015–2018 provided qualitative data during the Nini health assessment or standalone interview with an Aboriginal researcher. Most women expressed that overall they had a positive antenatal care experience. Key themes were:
- importance of positive relationships with antenatal care providers,
- the valuable role of family support during the antenatal period,
- challenges travelling for care and limitations of the Patient Assisted Travel Scheme, communication of pregnancy related information, and the provision of services including high staff turnover.
- Almost all antenatal care providers described were non-Aboriginal. A few women spoke about involvement of Aboriginal Health Workers in their antenatal care, including recommending expansion of these roles.
The experiences shared by these Kimberley women add to evidence from other parts of Australia, showing a need to improve culturally safe antenatal care for all Aboriginal women. This includes having more local Aboriginal antenatal care providers. There also needs to be more support for the large number of women and their families who need to travel for care.
Our paper ‘When I Got the News’ explored the experiences of Kimberley Aboriginal men during ANC, including their perceptions of being an expecting father, their social and emotional wellbeing, and their experience with health providers. The 10 Aboriginal men shared that fatherhood starts when their partner becomes pregnant and that their sense of responsibility increased as they sought to help their partner emotionally, practically and financially. The men talked about modifying their own behaviours in preparation for fatherhood, through a reduction in alcohol and less socialising. Several men self-reflected on their own absent fathers in their childhood and shared that this inspired them to be a more involved present father in their children’s lives. Aboriginal men support having a healthy pregnancy and being part of their partner’s pregnancy is important to them. The men talked about the importance for health services to include Aboriginal fathers, the need for programs and resources that will help Aboriginal men with knowledge and tools to better understand and support their partners to have a safe and healthy pregnancy.
Kimberley H. Seear, Erica P. Spry, Emma Carlin, David N. Atkinson, Julia V. Marley. Aboriginal women’s experiences of strengths and challenges of antenatal care in the Kimberley: A qualitative study. Women and Birth. 2021; http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wombi.2020.12.009
Emma Carlin, Zaccariah Cox, Erica Spry, Conor Monahan, Julia V. Marley, David Atkinson. “When I got the news”: Aboriginal fathers in the Kimberley region yarning about their experience of the antenatal period. Health promotion journal of Australia. 2020: https://doi.org/10.1002/hpja.375
‘Nini Women’s: antenatal care experiences’ – plain language report (168 KB)
‘When I Got the News’ – peer reviewed publication (375 KB)
‘When I Got the News’ – plain language report for community (132 KB)
