Cultural competence and safety in Circumpolar countries: an analysis of discourses in healthcare
Circumpolar Indigenous populations continue to experience dramatic health inequities when compared to their national counterparts. The objectives of this study are first, to explore the space given in the existing literature to the concepts of cultural safety and cultural competence, as it relates t...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2022-12-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Circumpolar Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/22423982.2022.2055728 |
| _version_ | 1818522865592434688 |
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| author | Josée G. Lavoie Jon Petter Stoor Elizabeth Rink Katie Cueva Elena Gladun Christina Viskum Lytken Larsen Gwen Healey Akearok Nicole Kanayurak |
| author_facet | Josée G. Lavoie Jon Petter Stoor Elizabeth Rink Katie Cueva Elena Gladun Christina Viskum Lytken Larsen Gwen Healey Akearok Nicole Kanayurak |
| author_sort | Josée G. Lavoie |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Circumpolar Indigenous populations continue to experience dramatic health inequities when compared to their national counterparts. The objectives of this study are first, to explore the space given in the existing literature to the concepts of cultural safety and cultural competence, as it relates to Indigenous peoples in Circumpolar contexts; and second, to document where innovations have emerged. We conducted a review of the English, Danish, Norwegian, Russian and Swedish Circumpolar health literature focusing on Indigenous populations. We include research related to Alaska (USA); the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Nunavik and Labrador (Canada); Greenland; Sápmi (northmost part of Sweden, Norway, and Finland); and arctic Russia. Our results show that the concepts of cultural safety and cultural competence (cultural humility in Nunavut) are widely discussed in the Canadian literature. In Alaska, the term relationship-centred care has emerged, and is defined broadly to encompass clinician-patient relationships and structural barriers to care. We found no evidence that similar concepts are used to inform service delivery in Greenland, Nordic countries and Russia. While we recognise that healthcare innovations are often localised, and that there is often a lapse before localised innovations find their way into the literature, we conclude that the general lack of attention to culturally safe care for Sámi and Greenlandic Inuit is somewhat surprising given Nordic countries’ concern for the welfare of their citizens. We see this as an important gap, and out of step with commitments made under United Nations Declarations on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. We call for the integration of cultural safety (and its variants) as a lens to inform the development of health programs aiming to improve Indigenous in Circumpolar countries. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T05:38:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b95ee3acc8a54e59a45f43d1b8e7ab5b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2242-3982 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T05:38:23Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Circumpolar Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-b95ee3acc8a54e59a45f43d1b8e7ab5b2022-12-22T01:19:13ZengTaylor & Francis GroupInternational Journal of Circumpolar Health2242-39822022-12-0181110.1080/22423982.2022.2055728Cultural competence and safety in Circumpolar countries: an analysis of discourses in healthcareJosée G. Lavoie0Jon Petter Stoor1Elizabeth Rink2Katie Cueva3Elena Gladun4Christina Viskum Lytken Larsen5Gwen Healey Akearok6Nicole Kanayurak7Ongomiizwin Research, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB CanadaDepartment of Epidemiology and Global Health, Umeå University, Centre for Sami Health Research, UiT – the Arctic University of Norway, Sweden, NorwayHealth & Human Development, Montana State University, USAInstitute of Social and Economic Research (ISER), University of Alaska, Anchorage, AK, USAUniversity of Tyumen, RussiaUniversity of South Denmark, DenmarkQaujigiartiit Health Research Centre, Iqaluit, NU, CanadaNorth Slope Borough, AK, USACircumpolar Indigenous populations continue to experience dramatic health inequities when compared to their national counterparts. The objectives of this study are first, to explore the space given in the existing literature to the concepts of cultural safety and cultural competence, as it relates to Indigenous peoples in Circumpolar contexts; and second, to document where innovations have emerged. We conducted a review of the English, Danish, Norwegian, Russian and Swedish Circumpolar health literature focusing on Indigenous populations. We include research related to Alaska (USA); the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Nunavik and Labrador (Canada); Greenland; Sápmi (northmost part of Sweden, Norway, and Finland); and arctic Russia. Our results show that the concepts of cultural safety and cultural competence (cultural humility in Nunavut) are widely discussed in the Canadian literature. In Alaska, the term relationship-centred care has emerged, and is defined broadly to encompass clinician-patient relationships and structural barriers to care. We found no evidence that similar concepts are used to inform service delivery in Greenland, Nordic countries and Russia. While we recognise that healthcare innovations are often localised, and that there is often a lapse before localised innovations find their way into the literature, we conclude that the general lack of attention to culturally safe care for Sámi and Greenlandic Inuit is somewhat surprising given Nordic countries’ concern for the welfare of their citizens. We see this as an important gap, and out of step with commitments made under United Nations Declarations on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. We call for the integration of cultural safety (and its variants) as a lens to inform the development of health programs aiming to improve Indigenous in Circumpolar countries.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/22423982.2022.2055728ArcticAboriginalSámiInuitGreenlandScandinavia |
| spellingShingle | Josée G. Lavoie Jon Petter Stoor Elizabeth Rink Katie Cueva Elena Gladun Christina Viskum Lytken Larsen Gwen Healey Akearok Nicole Kanayurak Cultural competence and safety in Circumpolar countries: an analysis of discourses in healthcare International Journal of Circumpolar Health Arctic Aboriginal Sámi Inuit Greenland Scandinavia |
| title | Cultural competence and safety in Circumpolar countries: an analysis of discourses in healthcare |
| title_full | Cultural competence and safety in Circumpolar countries: an analysis of discourses in healthcare |
| title_fullStr | Cultural competence and safety in Circumpolar countries: an analysis of discourses in healthcare |
| title_full_unstemmed | Cultural competence and safety in Circumpolar countries: an analysis of discourses in healthcare |
| title_short | Cultural competence and safety in Circumpolar countries: an analysis of discourses in healthcare |
| title_sort | cultural competence and safety in circumpolar countries an analysis of discourses in healthcare |
| topic | Arctic Aboriginal Sámi Inuit Greenland Scandinavia |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/22423982.2022.2055728 |
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