Reorienting health services through community health promotion in Kwaio, Solomon Islands

Asugeni²,

Asugeni³

et al. 2009

Australas Psychiatry

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Section: Background: Mental Health Services In Kwaiomentioning

confidence: 99%

Incorporating Sociocultural Beliefs in Mental Health Services in Kwaio, Solomon Islands

Asugeni²,

Asugeni³

et al. 2009

Australas Psychiatry

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“…Some chiefs and community leaders from Christian villages were unable to attend the evening sessions because the use of English or the logistical challenge of travelling at night. Other chiefs, who practice Ancestral religion, were unable to enter the hospital building because of cultural taboos associated with entering a building used for childbirth[12]. Facilitating the workshop in two parallel sessions allowed participation from a variety of social, religious and professional backgrounds and ensured effective communication in a culturally safe location.…”

Section: The Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

Research workshop to research work: initial steps in establishing health research systems on Malaita, Solomon Islands

Redman-MacLaren

Solomon³

et al. 2010

Health Res Policy Sys

IntroductionAtoifi Adventist Hospital is a 90 bed general hospital in East Kwaio, Malaita, Solomon Islands providing services to the population of subsistence villagers of the region. Health professionals at the hospital and attached College of Nursing have considerable human capacity and willingness to undertake health research. However they are constrained by limited research experience, training opportunities, research systems, physical infrastructure and access to resources. This brief commentary describes an 'Introduction to Health Research' workshop delivered at Atoifi Adventist Hospital in September 2009 and efforts to move from 'research workshop' to 'research work'.The ApproachUsing a participatory-action research approach underpinned by decolonising methodologies, staff from Atoifi Adventist Hospital and James Cook University (Queensland, Australia) collaboratively designed, implemented and evaluated a health research workshop. Basic health research principles and methods were presented using active learning methodologies. Following the workshop, Atoifi Adventist Hospital and Atoifi College of Nursing staff, other professionals and community members reported an increased awareness and understanding of health research. The formation of a local Research Committee, improved ethics review procedures and the identification of local research mentors followed the week long workshop. The workshop has acted as a catalyst for research activity, increasing structural and human resource capacity for local health professionals and community leaders to engage in research.Discussion and ConclusionsParticipants from a variety of educational backgrounds participated in, and received benefit from, a responsive, culturally and linguistically accessible health research workshop. Improving health research systems at a remote hospital and aligning these with local and national research agendas is establishing a base to strengthen public health research and practice on Malaita, Solomon Islands.

“…Having worked as a medical scientist at the hospital from 1992–1994, DM returned in 1999 to conduct public health research, initially for masters research, and from 2001 for doctoral research at the hospital and surrounding communities [14,19,20]. DM embedded collaborative processes throughout his research including design, analysis and presentation of results with village health worker and East Kwaio chief, EK [21,22].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mutual research capacity strengthening: a qualitative study of two-way partnerships in public health research

Redman-MacLaren

Harrington³

et al. 2012

Int J Equity Health

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IntroductionCapacity building has been employed in international health and development sectors to describe the process of ‘experts’ from more resourced countries training people in less resourced countries. Hence the concept has an implicit power imbalance based on ‘expert’ knowledge. In 2011, a health research strengthening workshop was undertaken at Atoifi Adventist Hospital, Solomon Islands to further strengthen research skills of the Hospital and College of Nursing staff and East Kwaio community leaders through partnering in practical research projects. The workshop was based on participatory research frameworks underpinned by decolonising methodologies, which sought to challenge historical power imbalances and inequities. Our research question was, “Is research capacity strengthening a two-way process?”MethodsIn this qualitative study, five Solomon Islanders and five Australians each responded to four open-ended questions about their experience of the research capacity strengthening workshop and activities: five chose face to face interview, five chose to provide written responses. Written responses and interview transcripts were inductively analysed in NVivo 9.ResultsSix major themes emerged. These were: Respectful relationships; Increased knowledge and experience with research process; Participation at all stages in the research process; Contribution to public health action; Support and sustain research opportunities; and Managing challenges of capacity strengthening. All researchers identified benefits for themselves, their institution and/or community, regardless of their role or country of origin, indicating that the capacity strengthening had been a two-way process.ConclusionsThe flexible and responsive process we used to strengthen research capacity was identified as mutually beneficial. Using community-based participatory frameworks underpinned by decolonising methodologies is assisting to redress historical power imbalances and inequities and is helping to sustain the initial steps taken to establish a local research agenda at Atoifi Hospital. It is our experience that embedding mutuality throughout the research capacity strengthening process has had great benefit and may also benefit researchers from more resourced and less resourced countries wanting to partner in research capacity strengthening activities.