The Communicate Study: partnership across the Top End to improve First Nations patients’ experience and outcomes of healthcare

The vision of the Communicate Study Partnership is to ensure more First Nations patients receive culturally safe healthcare, to ensure better health outcomes. 

Training opportunities

Research activities:

Our research aims to improve the cultural safety of institutions and healthcare providers by:

• Developing, implementing and evaluating innovative communication and cultural safety education packages, inspired by the award-winning podcast: Ask the Specialist: Larrakia, Tiwi and Yolngu stories to inspire better healthcare.
• Creating a community of practice of culturally safe clinicians, supported by a social media chat group and seminars provided by invited experts 
• Improving the supply, demand and effectiveness of Aboriginal language interpreters through developing, evaluating and implementing new models of working with Aboriginal language interpreters in healthcare.

This is a multi-level partnership between Menzies School of Health Research, NT Health, the NT Aboriginal Interpreter Services (AIS), National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI), the Djalkiri Foundation and First Nations leaders, health professionals and educators in the NT

Chief investigator:

• Professor Anna Ralph

Postdoctoral researcher:

• Vicki Kerrigan

Project Manager:

• Maddison Sims

Key Staff

• Tiana Alley
• Emily Armstrong
• Anna Lucas
• Madelyn Hay
• Joanne Sweeney

Information for study participants:

• The dynamic Communicate study team has forged collaborations with NT Health, NT Aboriginal Interpreter Service (AIS), National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI), the Djalkiri Foundation and Aboriginal community leaders in the Top End. Initial research focused on Royal Darwin Hospital, but from 2022 onwards the project is expanding to encompass Palmerston Hospital, Katherine Hospital and Gove District Hospital.

This project has both qualitative and quantitative PhD/Master by research opportunities. Please contact us for more information.

Contact information:

• Professor Anna Ralph
• Vicki Kerrigan
• Maddison Sims

Project dates:

• 2015 - current

Funders: 

• NHMRC Partnership Grant 2008644, 2022-2026
• MRFF Rapid Applied Research Translation Grant 2022-2027
• Menzies School of Health Research small grants scheme
• Harry Giese Research Into Action Award 2024

Collaborators

• NT Health
• NT Aboriginal Interpreter Service
• National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI)
• The Djalkiri Foundation
• Charles Darwin University

1. Kerrigan, V., McGrath, S.Y., Baker, R.D. et al. “If They Help Us, We Can Help Them”: First Nations Peoples Identify Intercultural Health Communication Problems and Solutions in Hospital in Northern Australia. J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-024-02160-4
2. Kerrigan, V., McGrath, S.Y., Doig, C. et al. Evaluating the impact of ‘Ask the Specialist Plus’: a training program for improving cultural safety and communication in hospital-based healthcare. BMC Health Serv Res 24, 119 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-024-10565-4 
3. Kerrigan, V., Park, D., Ross, C. et al. Countering the “wrong story”: a Participatory Action Research approach to developing COVID-19 vaccine information videos with First Nations leaders in Australia. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 10, 479 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-01965-8
4. Ralph, A.P., McGrath, S.Y., Armstrong, E. et al. Improving outcomes for hospitalised First Nations peoples though greater cultural safety and better communication: the Communicate Study Partnership study protocol. Implementation Sci 18, 23 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13012-023-01276-1
5. Kerrigan V, Park D, Ross C, Davies J, Ralph AP. Co-design effective health-literacy videos. Lancet. 2023 Feb 4;401(10374):343. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(23)00010-7.
6. Kerrigan, V., S. Y. McGrath, S. W. Majoni, M. Walker, M. Ahmat, B. Lee, A. Cass, M. Hefler and A. P. Ralph (2021). "“The talking bit of medicine, that’s the most important bit”: doctors and Aboriginal interpreters collaborate to transform culturally competent hospital care." International Journal for Equity in Health, 20(1): 170. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-021-01507-1%C2%A0
7. Kerrigan, V., S. Y. McGrath, S. W. Majoni, M. Walker, M. Ahmat, B. Lee, A. Cass, M. Hefler and A. P. Ralph (2021). "From “stuck” to satisfied: Aboriginal people’s experience of culturally safe care with interpreters in a Northern Territory hospital." BMC Health Services Research 21(1): 548. https://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12913-021-06564-4
8. The Communicate Study group (2020). "Improving communication with Aboriginal hospital inpatients: a quasi-experimental interventional study." Medical Journal of Australia, 213(4): 180-181. doi: 10.5694/mja2.50700
9. Kerrigan, V., N. Lewis, A. Cass, M. Hefler and A. P. Ralph (2020). "“How can I do more?” Cultural awareness training for hospital-based healthcare providers working with high Aboriginal caseload." BMC Medical Education, 20(1): 173. https://bmcmededuc.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12909-020-02086-5
10. Ralph, A. P., A. Lowell, J. Murphy, T. Dias, D. Butler, B. Spain, J. T. Hughes, L. Campbell, B. Bauert, C. Salter, K. Tune and A. Cass (2017). "Low uptake of Aboriginal interpreters in healthcare: exploration of current use in Australia's Northern Territory." BMC Health Services Research 17(1): 733. https://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12913-017-2689-y

Podcasts:

• Ask the Specialist: Larrakia, Tiwi and Yolŋu stories to inspire better healthcare

Videos:

• 2024 Cultural Safety Champions - Presentations
• Menzies COVID-19 Australian Vaccine information videos
• Stay Strong on Country Videos - (COVID-19)

Policy and Practice Briefs:

• Communication and cultural safety training - Policy and Practice Brief
• The Communicate Study: Interim summary of Findings and Recommendations
• Co-designing health literacy videos
• The benefits of working with Aboriginal interpreters at Royal Darwin Hospital