« There have been enough studies and research on Indigenous populations… Isn’t there enough literature and research showing that the healthcare system is not culturally safe? What do emergency room staff think? Could we focus our data collection efforts on them instead? »
Coordinator, Indigenous Partner Organization
Summary information about the project
- This four-year project (2021–2025) was led by CREMIS in close collaboration with the following four Indigenous partner organizations: the Indigenous Health Centre of Tiohtià:ke, the Indigenous Support Workers Project, the Montreal Indigenous Community Network and the Native Friendship Centre of Montreal.
- The objective of this project was to promote the sustainable implementation of the cultural safety approach at the CCSMTL, particularly in hospital emergency departments.
- Part 1 : Conduct an assessment of cultural safety in hospital emergency rooms as perceived by the staff working there. This also included focus groups to collect data on the perceptions of Indigenous health navigators.
- Part 2 : Develop various tools to support CCSMTL clinicians in their practice (e.g., video clips, podcasts, training content) to bring the cultural safety approach to life in different practice settings.
Key findings of the project
Listen to key participants in the project share their ideas :
Key Messages
- While internally, staff perceive the state of cultural safety in emergency departments to be fairly positive, representatives of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples report serious situations that mark the daily lives of Indigenous people when they come into contact with hospital emergency services.
- Several Indigenous stakeholders report having witnessed situations where First Nations, Inuit and Métis people were unable to access emergency services because they did not speak French.
- The persistence of prejudice and the infantilization of Indigenous patients are other issues reported by members of Indigenous organizations and navigators when discussing their experiences providing support in emergency rooms.
- Seizing every opportunity to learn about Indigenous realities and adopting an open attitude facilitates encounters with patients.
It is essential to continue efforts to enhance knowledge and skills in cultural safety. This applies to all staff, from frontline nurses to senior managers.
For more information
- Project timeline and key milestones of the collaboration (coming soon)