« People will be very stressed, and often when people are stressed, they look angry and frown. But these people aren’t angry, they’re afraid. So often, when I have to intervene because I see that the worker opposite me is uncomfortable, I literally say, « This person isn’t being aggressive, they’re afraid. We need to change the dynamic here and talk to this person as someone who is afraid. »
Lyn Black, Indigenous Support Workers Project’s Peer Community
Cultural security : what is it?
There are several definitions of Indigenous cultural safety. Here are two that identify key benchmarks useful for informing intervention practices:
- According to the Health Council of Canada, cultural safety « is an outcome, defined and experienced by those receiving a service – they feel safe » (2012).
- According to the MSSS (2021), cultural safety is more of an « approach that recognizes the inequalities experienced by Indigenous peoples and seeks to bridge these gaps through safe practices. Providing culturally safe care and services concerns all stakeholders in Quebec’s health and social services system, from government decision-makers to practitioners. »
According to the literature review carried out as part of this project, the term « cultural safety » first appeared in scientific nursing literature in 1992.
The emergence of this concept is credited to the work of Irihapeti Ramsden, a Maori nurse from New Zealand.
How can this approach be implemented on a daily basis?
Listen to staff members working within the CCSMTL and Indigenous organizations share their advice :
Among the tips shared
In a context of service optimization, staff turnover, and work overload, frontline staff may feel overwhelmed and ill-equipped to work with Indigenous patients. There are several actions that can be taken to promote a safer environment. For example :
- Be open and show interest in patients
- Understand the differences between aggression, nervousness, and fear
- Leave space for patients’ questions and take the time to answer them
- Become familiar with the community resources available in the surrounding area
- Ensure access to interpreter services and produce informational posters (e.g., on hospital walls) translated into various Indigenous languages
Every day, Indigenous patients come to the emergency room, and it is crucial to work toward establishing culturally safe services despite the structural challenges that need to be addressed.
For more information
- Take a look at a list of resources and tools about indigenous cultural safety (link coming soon)
- For even more information : All productions created by CREMIS during the project to bring the cultural safety approach to life.