Researchers at the University of Adelaide are embarking on a new project to investigate the implementation of journey mapping.
Journey mapping is the process of recording different stages of health journeys. It enables all aspects of health journeys to be recorded, including biomedical, social, emotional, spiritual, cultural, financial, access, and environmental factors.
Journey mapping can be conducted with First Nations Peoples in a culturally safe and person-centred approach. This positions First Nations Peoples as experts of their own journeys, with control to share their experiences from their perspective, and self-identify strengths and gaps in care and how they can best be addressed.
It can also be used in healthcare, research and education to understand individuals' experiences, provide evidence for continuous quality improvement processes, and identify solutions to healthcare needs that are comprehensive, partnering with individuals and their families.
Funded by Lowitja Institute, Australia's only national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community controlled health research institute, the research team started exploring the benefits of journey mapping in 2008, codesigning journey mapping tools and resources to support culturally safe healthcare with and for First Nations Peoples.
"Our new project, Mapping Journeys for Health and Wellbeing, builds on the work of our previous projects Managing Two Worlds Together and Health Journey Mapping, by evaluating how these tools and resources have been implemented and used," says project lead Professor Janet Kelly.
"As part of this project, we have developed the Mapping Journeys for Health and Wellbeing webpage, a hub for people to find information about journey mapping activities, resources, examples, and to connect with one another."
Research Assistant Alyssa Cormick said the project will have four key aims - identify use, evaluate the implementation, make the tools more accessible and reflect on what worked.
"This project strives to work alongside First Nations and non-First Nations people, healthcare staff, researchers, educators, and students to identify the benefits and effects of journey mapping, and codesign improvements to support uptake and implementation," she said.
"We believe that through reviewing and improving uptake of journey mapping we can support culturally safe health journeys."
Dr Kim O'Donnell who was involved in the original design of the tools explains that the new project will explore wider implementation of the tools.
"If we get it right for Aboriginal people, we get it right for everyone," says Dr O'Donnell.
