The Indigenous Health Research Priorities Study Report for Carbal Medical Services – Darling Downs 2024

The Health Research Priorities Study aimed to engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (herein respectfully referred as Indigenous) communities in Queensland through a co-designed and collaborative process. The goal of this research study was to work in partnership with local Indigenous community-controlled health services to co-identify health research priorities for families and communities during the perinatal period. It is hoped that these priorities can inform future health programs, services and research projects which have been chosen by communities.

Using a Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach, yarning sessions and a Delphi workshop were held with clients and staff of the Carbal Medical Services in both Toowoomba and Warwick sites from May 2022 to February 2023. While it had been hoped that additional services would be involved at the time of this study, the work in the region was significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic which was particularly active in the Darling Downs region.

Qualitative data collection and thematic analysis was undertaken to identify and report on community and health service research priorities during Phase 1 yarning sessions. These were reported back to each site and the Phase 2 Delphi workshop allowed each participant to prioritise the health issues identified during Phase 1. Each participant voted for their Top 10 health issues for their community and health service. Additionally, participants’ demographic information, and a short feedback form with five open-ended questions were collected to gauge reach, views, and satisfaction with the research process.

This report presents findings from the yarning sessions and Delphi workshops, with the Top 10 health research priorities identified for each clinic site, and overall, for the Darling Downs Carbal communities. It also included participant demographic information, feedback on the research process and reactions to participating in the yarning sessions and the Delphi workshops. There was a total of six yarning sessions and three Delphi workshops with a total 47 participants. The qualitative analysis identified at least 120 themes and subthemes based on initial yarning sessions. The themes were considered from a strengths-based perspective, focusing on the resilience and inherent strength of communities amidst the challenges faced. Feedback from study participants, 46 community members and health professionals, has highlighted they appreciated listening to other community members, being heard, felt the study was inclusive and a good way to discuss difficult topics.

Identification of health research priorities will allow each Indigenous community-controlled organisation and region of Queensland to develop research initiatives and the translational outcomes that are a focus for their community members. Recommendations for future directions for this study include revisiting services in the Darling Downs region to ensure more wide-spread engagement with communities, modify some approaches including to hold male-specific focus groups; and reflecting on the strongest and overlapping themes for the region to consider collaboration on future programs, services, and research.

Full report: https://doi.org/10.14264/13aacb2

Authors: Massi, Luciana, Weatherall, Loretta, Smith, Davina, Fredericks, Bronwyn, Toombs, Maree, and Rae, Kym M.