Aboriginal injury initiatives | |
Injury prevention in Aboriginal communities. Rural Health Education Foundation. Canberra: Rural Health Education Foundation, 2005 (60 mins). |
The Rural Health Education Foundation has produced a crucial resource in the video Injury prevention in Aboriginal communities. The video opens with a ministerial statement of support and endorsement and moves to concerned and informed doctors addressing the complex issues of the what and why (the epidemiology) of injuries. Underlying their dialogue is a social justice commentary which strengthens the video’s value as a teaching tool. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people provide important and well informed perspectives on the critical work they are doing within their own communities. The dialogue, as it is structured within the video, flows between the paid and skilled non-Indigenous workers/doctors, and the skilled, committed and generally non- or underpaid Aboriginal workers, who volunteer their time to improve the circumstances of their people. The video was shown to a classroom of nursing students to gauge their reaction. They found the video informative, if a little long, and it generated much discussion — a sign of success. I would suggest it could be edited down to 40 minutes, a better timeframe for use in the usual 1-hour lecture blocks. For instance, two night patrols cover similar ground. One would have been sufficient to allow viewers to understand the important work of the night patrols. A study guide, including questions that prompt discussion and further reflection, would have been useful. The video is good value for money and addresses injury and violence issues in a different, viewer-friendly manner. It’s a sound and useful resource for teaching health and law related injury prevention matters. V Judy Atkinson
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