Citation

Gray D, Saggers S, Wilkes E, Allsop S, Ober C. Aust. N. Zeal. J. Public Health 2010; 34(Suppl 1): S34-5.

Affiliation

National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University of Technology, Western Australia. d.gray@curtin.edu.au

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Public Health Association of Australia, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1753-6405.2010.00550.x

PMID

20618290

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To contextualise and provide an overview of two review papers--prepared as part of a larger research program--dealing with different aspects of the treatment of Indigenous Australians with alcohol-related problems. METHOD: The papers were reviewed thematically and compared to identify key issues raised in them. FINDINGS: Together, the papers highlight the paucity of the evidence base for the provision of treatment for Indigenous Australians with alcohol-related problems. Among the key issues identified are: the need to engage with clients in culturally safe ways; practitioner, organisational and client barriers to engagement; the contexts in which Indigenous drinking and treatment take place; the need to develop rigorous methods of evaluation more appropriate to Indigenous cultural and service provision settings; and the importance of effective partnerships in the provision of services. CONCLUSION: For those working in the field, the reviews direct attention to the need to review and interrogate our current practice. They also provide clear directions for future research.

Language: en