Yatdjuligin Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nursing and Midwifery Care

This chapter considers cultural safety within the context of Australian nursing and midwifery practice, using Irihapeti Ramsden’s definition of cultural safety as a framework. The chapter begins by considering the effects of colonisation on the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and how nurses must be aware of their patients’ cultures (which extend beyond ethnicity) in order to effectively treat them. The chapter discusses the journey practitioners take from cultural awareness through cultural sensitivity to achieve cultural safety. The chapter suggests that nurses must use self-reflection as a tool to understand their own beliefs, values and attitudes and how these may impact the healthcare they provide. This chapter is a call to all nurses and midwives to understand the differences between themselves and their patients, and to provide culturally safe care to all patients.