Improving Indigenous health through better medication management: an overview

This paper provides an overview of a major South Australian research project with implications for the health of all Indigenous Australians. The researchers set out to explore the medication needs of Aboriginal people with mental health problems and found that most Aboriginal people have to deal with profound challenges to social and emotional wellbeing with significant medication implications. No previous research had investigated the problem of medication use by Aboriginal people in metropolitan, rural and remote locations to the depth and extent of this project. The research therefore is of widespread relevance and holds interest for many Indigenous and non-Indigenous individuals and groups, consumers, service providers and policy-makers. As a research team comprising Indigenous and non-Indigenous members, we were committed to implementing strategies in the course of the project with immediate benefit to project participants as well as longer-term impact on improved use of medications. The design of the project enabled these strategic interventions and we are pleased to promote this model to other researchers. Recommendations from the project concern services, coordination of care, carers and family members, workforce education, and community development. Readers are advised where the project report and other published papers can be accessed. The project was funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing.