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Health & Wellbeing

Research for the Future

IWC Clinical team stands in nurses station

Early 2022 saw IWC approached requesting participation in a research project.

IWC was selected as a high-performing Aboriginal Medical Centre across Australia to work with the Australian National University (ANU) on a research project to improve chronic disease management for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples nationwide. The research team captured IWC's high performance by screening the National Key Performance Indicators captured by the Department of Health. The project aims to improve chronic disease management across First Nations communities through improved patient assessment and care models. The findings from the project will be shared throughout the Aboriginal Medical Service network to share best practices and to support continuous improvement initiatives. Additionally, key findings will support future policy improvements and project design.

The research project, conducted in October 2022, included interview sessions with patients, carers and staff to provide a detailed understanding of IWC's service delivery model, to understand the patient's and carer's experiences; and to highlight the strengths and areas for improvement in our practice. It is essential to both ANU and IWC that our communities and patients have direct input into these projects and that their voices are heard. We were extremely fortunate to receive support from patient and carer representatives who provided detailed and authentic information to the research team.

The first stage of IWC's participation in the project is complete. We have attached a detailed report issued by ANU with their findings. IWC will be participating in a follow-up session with the research team later this year, with the representatives from the initial stage providing feedback on the project summary and findings.

As an organisation, we always strive to improve our services and outcomes for our communities. We have a fantastic community that supports our services, and it is our patients and clients who inspire us along this journey. As a leading AMS, we embrace the critical responsibility of advocacy and leadership across the sector as pioneers of innovation, First Nations healthcare, and reconciliation in action.

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