The Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) is the not-for-profit organisation responsible for training emergency physicians and the advancement of professional standards in emergency medicine in Australia and New Zealand. As the peak body for emergency medicine, the College has a significant interest in ensuring that the highest standards of medical care for patients are maintained in EDs across Australia and New Zealand.
ACEM’s vision is that the provision of culturally safe and quality acute health care in Australian hospital EDs is vital to true reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. To achieve this vision, ACEM commissioned a research project to study cultural safety in ED settings from the perspectives of both service users and emergency service providers. Developed in partnership with Karabena Consulting and the Lowitja Institute, the project’s aims were to develop a Cultural Safety Advocacy and Implementation Plan to improve emergency care delivery for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people; to identify conceptions of cultural safety from both First Nations’ peoples and ED staff; and to apply this information in further education and training opportunities for staff, future ED design, and ACEM’s research strategies and investments