Research complexity in the remote Australian Indigenous context: a way forward
Research complexity in the remote Australian Indigenous context: a way forward Journal Article
The Lancet Global Health
Abstract: In The Lancet Global Health, James Ward and colleagues report the findings of a stepped-wedge, cluster-randomised trial undertaken across remote Aboriginal Australia, which aimed to reduce the prevalence of three endemic, fully curable, sexually transmissible infections (STIs): chlamydia, gonorrhoea, and trichomonas. Untreated, these infections can have long-term sequelae, including infertility, or adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as ectopic pregnancy and preterm birth. These last two conditions can result in the potentially preventable death of the mother or baby. Prevalence of STIs across remote Australia have changed little in 20 years, with women in these communities also having some of the poorest pregnancy outcomes in Australia. The study by Ward and colleagues has several strengths. It was led by a prominent Aboriginal researcher who is supported by a team with extensive expertise in Indigenous health and STI research. Aboriginal research leadership is important in ensuring the research approach is informed by Aboriginal ways of knowing, being, and doing. This study should be commended for its large scale (probably the largest randomised controlled trial focusing on improving health of Aboriginal people in remote communities), especially in terms of geographical distance and number of health-care providers who modified their information systems and participated, and for the robustness of the study design.
- Urls: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(19)30403-6