Title:Heart Failure in Minority Populations - Impediments to Optimal Treatment in Australian Aborigines
VOLUME: 12 ISSUE: 3
Author(s):Pupalan Iyngkaran, Nadarajan Kangaharan, Hendrik Zimmet, Margaret Arstall, Rob Minson, Merlin C. Thomas, Peter Bergin, John Atherton, Peter MacDonald, David L. Hare, John D. Horowitz and Marcus Ilton
Affiliation:Cardiologist and Senior Lecturer NT Medical School, Flinders University, Tiwi, NT 0811, Australia.
Keywords:Aboriginal Australian, Chronic Heart Failure, Cultural Health Attributions, Culture and Healthcare, Health Beliefs,
Indigenous Australian.
Abstract:Chronic heart failure (CHF) among Aboriginal/Indigenous Australians
is endemic. There are also grave concerns for outcomes once acquired. This point
is compounded by a lack of prospective and objective studies to plan care. To
capture the essence of the presented topic it is essential to broadly understand
Indigenous health. Key words such as ‘worsening’, ‘gaps’, ‘need to do more’,
‘poorly studied’, or ‘future studies should inform’ occur frequently in contrast to
CHF research for almost all other groups. This narrative styled opinion piece attempts
to discuss future directions for CHF care for Indigenous Australians. We
provide a synopsis of the problem, highlight the treatment gaps, and define the
impediments that present hurdles in optimising CHF care for Indigenous Australians.
