Improving the Identification of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander patients

Why are practices asked to identify patients according to cultural background?

1. Identification of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander patients within general practices can improve quality of care.
   (Kelaher et al, Improving the identification of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander People in Mainstream General Practice)
2. The RACGP Accreditation Standards require that general practices demonstrate routine recording of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander status. Practices are required to ask the question of all patients, rather than relying on patients to self-identify.
3. Improve accuracy of health data.  Data from Victorian health administrative data sets is not considered accurate enough to be included in national analysis of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, because;

• Aboriginal people are not accurately identified in many of these collections.
• Differences in definitions used for identification of cultural background.
• Failure to record whether a patient is Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
  (Overview of Australian Indigenous health status, 2010, Australian Indigenous Health InfoNet)

The Australian Institute of Health & Welfare (AIHW) guidelines recommends that practices:

• Adopt the standard question - “Are you of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin?” and record categories on their data collection forms and information systems.
• Improve procedures for identifying and recording Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander status information in health by training the practice team about how and why to ask the question on a patient’s Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander status and to raise staff awareness about its importance.
• Promote to Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander patients the importance of identifying as Indigenous Australians when accessing services.

If a preamble is necessary, the following statement may be used: “The following information will assist in the planning and provision of appropriate and improved healthcare and services so that we can provide the best care possible.” RACGP factsheet.

• Working together to Close the Gap – Flier doc
• RACGP factsheet.doc
• Improving the Identification of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People in Mainstream General Practice doc

(back to overview)