Indigenous Peoples' Experiences of Healthcare in Northern Ontario

Indigenous Peoples' Experiences of Healthcare in Northern Ontario

Indigenous peoples--Health and hygiene

Kristen Walker

Chuk-Yim Stephen Chiang

2024

Fielding Graduate University ProQuest Dissertations & Theses

Dissertation

English

9798382836287

Ontario, Canada

Open Access

This phenomenological study explored how Indigenous peoples experience healthcare in Northern Ontario. Sixteen Indigenous adults from a small rural Indigenous community in Northern Ontario were interviewed, eight participants were women and eight were men. Eight participants lived on reserve and eight lived off reserve. Their healthcare experiences were analyzed and summarized into themes of positive experiences, stereotyping, long ED wait time, knowledge of healthcare system, and cultural safety. Six main findings emerged. One of the major findings was that many participants were happy with their healthcare services, which is different from the current literature that centers on negative experiences. This satisfaction may relate to the small reserve community, that many members know the healthcare providers at the nearby hospitals and medical clinics. In a second major finding, however, participants did experience racism and stereotyping and perceived differential treatment and lack of empathy, as indicated in the current literature. Many participants also experienced long waiting time in ED and this aligned with the literature. Fourth, agency emerged in the findings. Some participants felt that their good knowledge of the healthcare system and speaking up helped them in acquiring better healthcare services. Fifth, many participants indicated cultural safety and sensitivity are important in their healthcare and suggested the healthcare facilities implement cultural training as well as making an effort to display some Indigenous artwork to help Indigenous peoples feel welcomed in such facilities. A sixth main finding of this study was that many participants valued the Indigenous health centres where Indigenous traditional health practices and Western medicine co-exist. It is proposed that health centres/hospitals should be built based on Indigenous worldviews and traditional medicine and health practices, with importation and integration the Western healthcare system into these settings.