Pelvic health conditions among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and men are under-recognised and under-reported despite being a significant burden, say a group of Australian researchers who have recently published a systematic review of pelvic healthcare in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and men.

The paper, which was published in the Australian Journal of Primary Health, says that both the diagnosis and the management of pelvic health conditions in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people need to be improved.

The study aims included summarising the burden of pelvic health conditions among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, exploring barriers to and enablers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people accessing pelvic healthcare services and providing considerations for implementing culturally safe pelvic healthcare services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Barriers to effective and culturally safe treatment included racism, shame and the stigma associated with women’s and men’s business as well as a lack of culturally safe services and geographical distance from services.

Enablers included building trust with local communities, using yarning principles and co-designing pelvic health services with Aboriginal health workers and services.

Strategies and considerations for improving pelvic healthcare for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were suggested.

These included engaging with local communities, Aboriginal medical services, professionals who oversee service provision and healthcare providers to ensure that the burden of pelvic health conditions is addressed.

Access the research paper here.