Culturally responsive women’s and men’s health physiotherapy for Indigenous people living in regional, rural, and remote Australia

Abstract

Introduction: Women’s and men’s health physiotherapy involve the assessment and management of pelvic floor dysfunction, incontinence, sexual dysfunction, pelvic pain, and specific areas related to each gender. Dysfunction with these areas has a large impact upon individuals and communities due to the cost of managing the conditions and their symptoms. Indigenous people have poorer health outcomes in Australia due to a lack of access to culturally responsive health care. The aim of this study was to explore if physiotherapists perceived that they could provide culturally responsive women’s and men’s health physiotherapy services to Indigenous people living in regional, rural, and remote Australia.

Method: An online survey was distributed through social media Facebook sites to physiotherapists who provide women’s and men’s health physiotherapy services to people living in regional, rural, and remote Australia, from August to November 2020. An inductive approach to analysis was used, linking data to themes.

Results: There were 33/54 responses to the question on culturally responsive care, with 29/54 respondents stating that they perceived that they provide culturally responsive women’s and men’s’ physiotherapy services. Examples of services included a weekly clinic with a local Aboriginal medical service, working with aboriginal liaison officers, participating in cultural training and developing culturally sensitive handouts and presentations. A lack of inclusion of culturally responsive practice in postgraduate education was stated as a barrier to gaining knowledge of how to provide services. Low referrals and a low up take of women’s and men’s’ physiotherapy services, lack of funding as well as a lack of culturally appropriate locations to provide services were described as limitations to providing women’s and men’s health physiotherapy services.

Conclusion: Physiotherapists may provide culturally responsive, but they feel their knowledge of how to provide culturally responsive services is limited. A lack of referrals and funding also appears to limit their ability to provide women’s and men’s health physiotherapy to all people in regional, rural, and remote Australia.

Keywords:

• Women’s health
• men’s health
• physiotherapy
• indigenous
• rural and remote

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kerstin McPherson

Kerstin McPherson (pronouns she/ her) lives on Wiradjuri land, Orange NSW. She is of English Scottish and Australian heritage and has been working as a Physiotherapist for over 30 years. She graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Sciences (Physiotherapy) from the University of Sydney, 1992, Masters of Physiotherapy from University of Melbourne, 2012 and a Graduate Certificate in University Learning and Teaching, Charles Sturt University, 2014. She has worked as Physiotherapy lecturer at Charles Sturt University since 2010 and has been involved with curriculum design including embedding the Indigenous University Framework into the Physiotherapy program. Kerstin has worked in both metropolitan, regional and rural areas of Australia and has been a previous board member of SARRAH (Services for Australian Rural and Remote Allied Health). She is completing PhD with the University of Canberra titled Pelvic organ prolapse knowledge in women's and men's health physiotherapy in entry-level education and in regional, rural, and remote Australia.

Irmina Nahon

Dr Irmina Nahon graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Sciences (Physiotherapy) from the University of Sydney in 1991. She has since developed a strong interest in Pelvic Floor rehabilitation and has a Post Graduate Certificate in Continence and Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy from Melbourne University (2000) and a Master of Physiotherapy from the University of South Australia (2003). In November 2011, she was awarded her PhD entitled “Assessment and Management of Male Urinary Incontinence” from the University of Sydney. Irmina works as a pelvic floor physiotherapist in a private practice and is Senior Lecturer, Professional Practice Coordination at the University of Canberra. She is an active member of the International Continence Society, the Continence Foundation of Australia, and the Australian Physiotherapy Association's Men's and Women's Health group. Irmina is very passionate about continence promotion, as well as research into the assessment and management of incontinence. She has published many peer reviewed articles and presented at the International Continence Society meeting, the Australasian Prostate Cancer conference and at the National Conference on Incontinence. She is also co-author on 2 presentations on the management of constipation in children, at the Congress of the European Academy of Paediatric Societies.