Twenty “must-read” research articles for primary care providers in Nunavik: scoping study and development of an information tool

Abstract

While health needs in Nunavik are distinct, there is a scarcity of knowledge transfer intended for local primary care providers. We aimed to build an information tool in the form of a newsletter and a website to share with them a selection of relevant research articles. To identify such articles, a scoping study of Inuit health research published between 2012 and 2017 was conducted. Selection criteria were adapted from the framework of information mastery. After a database search yielding 2896 results, publications were screened for eligibility. Next, the 226 eligible articles were evaluated and scored for their relevance, their methods (including community participation), their local applicability and their clinical utility. The 20 highest-scored articles were selected for dissemination in a newsletter. They were summarised and presented in 6 thematic emails: Child Development, Infectious Diseases, Traditional and Modern Medicine, Metabolism, Nutrition and Contaminants, and Inuit Perspectives. The newsletter was sent to over 190 health workers and regional stakeholders in Nunavik and was also published online. We hope that this project will foster knowledge sharing and inter-sectorial collaboration between research, public health and clinical care. Trends in Inuit health research are discussed.

Climate change and Indigenous mental health in the Circumpolar North: A systematic review to inform clinical practice

“…Mental health care is also delivered in person by community workers, general practice nurses, and social workers. Most health care professionals are from settler cities, often outside the Circumpolar North, and receive little to no training to provide culturally relevant care in the North (Paquin et al, 2019). Thus, mental health in the North is shaped by unique cultural, ecological, socio-political, and historical factors, including the ongoing impacts of colonization.…”

“…In this context, knowledge-sharing between communities, researchers, and health care providers is essential to mobilize all sectors around problem-solving approaches that acknowledge community-specific preoccupations and values (Paquin et al, 2020;Webb et al, 2010). This knowledge-sharing process can be facilitated through literature reviews that are usable by health practitioners and that synthesize research on the perspectives, needs, and experiences of Northern communities (Paquin et al, 2019).…”

Feasibility and ethical issues: experiences and concerns of healthcare workers regarding a new RSV prophylaxis programme in Nunavik, Quebec

“…More research about Inuit experiences and opinions regarding health services and programmes is needed, including the participation and leadership of the community. This could be done with the development of a participatory action research project [26] or a community-based participatory research, a design rarely used in Nunavik [28].…”

Cultural Intelligence of Expatriate Health Workers in an Inuit Context: An Exploration of Managerial Competency Profiles

“…In Nunavik (Québec, Canada), 90% of the population is Inuit, but nearly 60% of the healthcare managers are non-Inuit peoples [5]. Healthcare is primarily provided by nurses, general practitioners, and social workers who reside in the villages, but are both non-Inuit and come from southern Québec [6]. Virtually all managers and professionals are trained at southern educational institutions, where the curricula focus on the health needs of the white settler population [6].…”

“…Healthcare is primarily provided by nurses, general practitioners, and social workers who reside in the villages, but are both non-Inuit and come from southern Québec [6]. Virtually all managers and professionals are trained at southern educational institutions, where the curricula focus on the health needs of the white settler population [6]. Before beginning work in the North, health workers and managers receive two days of training on Inuit culture and life in the Arctic [7].…”