•  
  •  
 

Corresponding Author

Keith McNaught. keith.mcnaught@curtin.edu.au

Abstract

Introduction: Health outcomes for Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait peoples are very poor. This is considerably worse in remote regions. The East Pilbara, where the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities of the Martu and Nyiyaparli people reside, is one such remote region.

Methods: This review explored the grey literature relating to the health services and health outcomes of the Martu and Nyiyaparli people. Search strategies included specific search terms as well as the systematic search of specific websites likely to inform this review. To ensure relevance of the data, the review incorporated documents published in the last five years and obtained statistical data at two different population levels (SA3 and Indigenous Area). Both SA3s and IAREs are geographical areas utilised by the Australian Bureau of Statistics for the attainment of statistical data; however, IAREs were created for more specific data related to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Results: The main findings from this review were that health outcomes for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of the East Pilbara were poor, with health indicator trends that were worse than nationwide averages. Additionally, the review found that the healthcare workforce shortages common to very remote areas across Australia were particularly problematic in the East Pilbara.

Conclusion: In addition to seeking improved health outcomes, this project responds to calls from this community to move from the ‘repair shop’ model of healthcare to an upstream preventative model by providing a context of the current health issues in this East Pilbara region.

Download

Share

COinS