Ask the Specialist: stories to inspire better healthcare
Ask the Specialist is a podcast for health professionals who work with First Nations peoples in the place colonisers called the Northern Territory of Australia. Healthcare providers ask Arrernte, Larrakia, Tiwi, Warlpiri, Yolngu, Anmatjere, Western Aranda, Pitjantjatjara and Pintupi-Luritja leaders their "burning questions" which span clinical to philosophical ideas. The Specialists are: Aunty Bilawara Lee, Pirrawayingi Puruntatameri, Rarrtjiwuy Melanie Herdman and Bernadette Nethercott, Jimmy Langdon, Sabella Kngwarraye Turner and Amelia Kngwarraye Turner, Ken Lechleitner Pangarte, Selina Napaltjarri Bob and Isobel Nampitjinpa Major.
Ask the Specialist was supported by the Communicate Study at Menzies School of Health Research. Episodes 8-10 were created in collaboration with Purple House, the Djalkiri Foundation and NT Health. Episodes 11-14 were created in collaboration with Purple House, 8CCC Community Radio and Swinburne University of Technology.
Ep 1-7:
Hosts: Vicki Kerrigan and Stuart Yiwarr McGrath
Voice over: Richard Margetson
Sound production: Hamish Robertson
Producer/Executive Producer: Vicki Kerrigan
Ep 8-10
Hosts: Kelly Clark and Christine Sanderson
Voice over: Brendan Phelan and Natasha Bertschi
Producer: Caddie Brain
Executive Producer: Vicki Kerrigan
Ep 11-14
Hosts: Donna Lemon Napaltjarri and Mario Faggion
Producer: Will Tinapple
Executive Producer: Vicki Kerrigan
Funding: Harry Christian Giese Research Into Action Award, Medical Research Futures Fund and National Health and Medical Research Council.
Artwork: Amber Young
Music from https://filmmusic.io "Cold Funk" by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way.
Episodes
14 episodes
1. Get to know your patient
"Is it ok to make eye contact?" is one of the most frequently asked questions about working with Aboriginal patients in the Northern Territory of Australia. In this first episode of Ask the Specialist you’ll get practical tips on how t...
2. Communicating with your patient
Communication is often called a soft science. The suggestion is communication is easy but it’s not. Not being able to communicate is stressful for you and your patient. Poor communication is one of the ways patients experience racism. Poor comm...
3. Communicating with interpreters and your patient
In the Northern Territory of Australia, there are about 75 thousand Aboriginal people and about 100 Aboriginal languages and dialects are spoken. So, unless you speak an Aboriginal language, or many languages, communicating with patients throug...
4. Patient centred care
Host Stuart Yiwarr McGrath says when a health professional is talking to an Aboriginal person, they automatically feel inferior. The Specialists have some suggestions about how to redress the power imbalance so you can deliver patient centred c...
5. Informed consent
As a health professional working in a hospital, gaining informed consent is critically important. Unfortunately, patients often sign the consent form without understanding the procedure and associated risks. In this podcast, Tiwi E...
6. Recognising and addressing racism
"Hospitals aren’t a place that people really want to be, but is it that unpleasant for people that it's a horrible sort of racist place? What's it like being a patient there?” In this podcast, the Specialists address doctor...
7. Perspectives on health and well-being
Some Aboriginal patients may have a different perspective on health compared to the western biomedical approach which underpins mainstream healthcare delivery. A culturally safe health professional has an awareness of differing worldviews and a...
8. The “D word”, sorry business and smoking ceremonies
Discussing end-of-life care can be very challenging—what words should you use? Can you call someone by their name? In this episode, the Specialists discuss the language to use before and after someone passes away, and the policies and procedure...
9. “Skin and kin” and culturally safe communication at end of life
Have you ever wondered how to handle end-of-life talks with First Nations peoples? In this episode, the Specialists explore how "skin and kin" defines family roles and responsibilities—and why the decision-maker isn’t always the “next of kin” a...
10. Supporting families and pain medication at end of life
Learn how kinship roles shape who can visit a loved one—and why absence can be a sign of deep respect. Discover why some families might fear pain medication, and why the right setting for end-of-life care discussions isn’t always a hospital roo...
11. Intercultural communication in healthcare
What does it mean to make an effort to communicate across languages and cultures? Learn why even attempting a greeting in a local Aboriginal language can help build connection, why it is important to ask patients where they are from and what la...
12. Trust and relationships in healthcare
Trust is not automatic; you have to earn it! Learn how healthcare professionals can build trust with Aboriginal patients who may already be carrying vulnerability from previous experiences with healthcare. Discover how to ask sensitive question...
13. Navigating kinship in healthcare
Kinship is central to Aboriginal identity and shapes family responsibilities, relationships and decision-making. Learn how healthcare professionals can ask about kinship and find out who should be involved in decisions about a patient’s care. D...
14. Cultural safety among a transient health workforce
What does cultural safety look like when healthcare workers may only be in Central Australia for a few months? Learn why relationships still matter, even when staff are only passing through, and why coming in “as a half a glass” and being ready...
