Background: Aboriginal women and their infants experience significant disadvantage in health outcomes compared to their non-Aboriginal counterparts. Access to timely, effective and appropriate maternal and child healthcare can contribute to reducing these existing health disparities. However, accessing mainstream healthcare services often results in high levels of fear and anxiety, and low attendance at subsequent appointments among Aboriginal women, due to inefficient communication, poor service coordination and a lack of continuity of care. Methods: This integrative literature review sought to explore factors that contribute to continuity of care and consider service features that contribute to positive care experiences and satisfaction with care received by Aboriginal women and their infants. In total, 28 studies were included in the review and were thematically analysed using Braun and Clarke’s six steps of thematic analysis. This was followed by a collaborative, computer-assisted qualitative analysis, which resulted in the emergence of five key themes: lack of continuity of care, impact of lack of continuity of care, continuity of care interventions, impact of continuity of care interventions, and strategies to improve continuity of care. Results: Most studies focused on health services in rural or remote Aboriginal communities and there was a lack of documented evidence of continuity of care (or lack thereof) for Aboriginal women living and birthing in regional and metropolitan areas. The majority of studies focused explicitly on continuity of care during the antenatal, birthing and immediate postnatal period, with only two studies considering continuity through to an infant’s first 1000 days. Conclusion: The review highlights a lack of studies exploring continuity of care for Aboriginal families from the antenatal period through to an infants’ first 1000 days of life. Included studies identified a lack of continuity in the antenatal, peri- and postnatal periods in both regional and metropolitan settings. This, along with identified strategies for enhancing continuity, have implications for communities, and healthcare services to provide appropriate and culturally safe care. It also marks an urgent need to incorporate and extend continuity of care and carer through to the first 1000 days for successful maternal and infant health outcomes for Aboriginal peoples.

Attention to culture and its impact on health care can improve the quality of care given, add to our understanding of health care among culturally diverse populations, and encourage a more holistic approach to health care within general care. Connection to culture is important to Aboriginal peoples, and integrating Aboriginal culture into general care in residential aged care facilities may contribute to improving care delivery and outcomes for residents. The literature to date revealed a lack of understanding of the capacity of residential aged care and the health practices of carers in relation to providing cultural care for Aboriginal people. This study aimed to explore how cultural care needs are maintained for Aboriginal residents from their own and their carers’ perspectives. Applying an Aboriginal centered research method, an Interpretive Descriptive Approach was used as a theoretical framework to explore data in this study. Semi structured audio-recorded interviews were conducted. An additional file provides a complete description of the interview questions used as a guide for the study [see Additional file 1]. Three Residential Aged Care Centres, in South Australia were used i.e., two rural from centres and one urban metropolitan centre. Seven Aboriginal residents and 19 carers participated in interviews. Data was transcribed and an interpretive analysis was employed to code the transcribed data for themes and sub-themes. The study was guided by an Aboriginal community advisory group with an aim to work under the principle of reciprocity; giving back to the communities, participants and those where the research results may have been relevant. Three themes emerged from the views of the residents and carers: (i) lack of resources and funding; (ii) care practice; and (iii) marginalisation of Aboriginal culture within aged care facilities. The findings suggest that carers and residents believe cultural inclusion in general care practices may enrich Aboriginal residents’ daily life, health and well-being in residential aged care facilities. This study may provide carers, aged care centre managers and policy makers with information on the need of resources, funding, organised care plan and management, and cultural competency of carers to be considered to improve Aboriginal aged care protocols for integrating cultural care into practice.

It is argued that spirituality acts as a powerful determinant of health and influences the general care experiences of older people living in residential aged care. This impact is significant, especially for Aboriginal residents, whose cultural and spiritual well-being is shown to be strongly connected with divine beliefs, land and community. This study, a qualitative exploration from conversational interviews with 7 Aboriginal residents and 19 carers, aimed to investigate how the Aboriginal residents’ spiritual well-being related to living in residential aged care in South Australia. Participants shared what spirituality meant to them and how spiritual needs are met in aged care centres for Aboriginal residents. Three major themes emerged from the views of the residents and carers: a lack of understanding of spiritual well-being; challenges around aged care plan; and practice and inadequate resources and funding. The main themes and sub-themes contributed to carers’ unawareness around the spiritual care needs of Aboriginal residents. This study concluded there was a requirement for changes in care management and staff approach, and management structure in order to integrate spiritual care into general care for Aboriginal residents in aged care.

Aim: The aim of this paper is to critically reflect on our team's experience of using netnography to explore vaccine‐hesitant parents and pregnant women, a group who have traditionally been difficult to recruit to research studies and a methodology that is underutilized in nursing research.Design: This paper takes the form of a discussion paper that will utilize data obtained from a qualitative netnographic study. Relevant literature was searched including 2015–2023.Method: This paper utilized data obtained from a qualitative study that used netnography as methodology and an online minable data source. Netnography is a relatively new methodology that uses the online environment to explore digital cultures and study networked society. It pays particular attention to cultural insights and conditions that impact the human experience. This methodology is particularly relevant to nursing research which is often humanistic and always conducted to ensure optimal patient outcomes.Results: Using netnography for the first time has resulted in four main insights. These include the adaptability of the process; the creativity involved in designing the site; the ready acceptance of the site by participants and the co‐creation knowledge that resulted.Conclusions: Netnography is a creative methodology that was successful in accessing and engaging the vaccine‐hesitant community, a group who are often marginalized. Netnography has the advantage of using a platform that is familiar and safe for many people and provides access to an extensive minable data source.

Introduction: Understanding Indigenous women’s dissatisfaction with birthing experiences is vital for improving maternal healthcare. It highlights the need for compassionate, respectful care that meets women’s physical and emotional needs. Addressing these concerns can enhance patient satisfaction, reduce postpartum mental health issues and wellness, and ensure safer, more positive outcomes for mothers and babies.Objectives: This scoping review aimed to identify what is known about Indigenous women’s dissatisfaction of birthing experiences in mainstream maternity hospitals.Inclusion criteria: This review considered primary research studies that reported on reasons for dissatisfaction of birthing experiences, and strategies implemented to improve quality of clinical practice around women’s dissatisfaction of birthing experiences in mainstream maternity hospitals in Australia, Aotearoa, Canada, US, Kalaallit Nunaat and Sápmi.Findings: A total of 22 manuscripts reporting 22 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the synthesis.Discussion: There is a need for culturally safe trauma informed care, inclusive communication, active decision-making involvement and greater inclusion of Indigenous perspectives in maternity care, including the involvement of Indigenous birth support workers where appropriate and inclusion of Birthing on Country models of care.Conclusion: This review reveals that the medicalisation and evacuation of Indigenous women for childbirth cause cultural, geographic, and social disconnection, despite infant safety benefits. It underscores the need for better cultural safety education, communication, and the inclusion of cultural practices in care, with support from Indigenous birth support workers being essential.