Australia is a diverse and multicultural country. Optometrists are providing eye care to culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) patients. Many optometrists themselves are from CALD backgrounds. We have developed resources to help you strengthen your cultural responsiveness and improve patient care. This page includes:
- Optometry Australia’s Framework for Culturally Responsiveness Practice
- Practical Toolkit and Self-Reflection Checklist for optometrists, practices and organisations
- CPD education and webcasts to help improve your cultural responsiveness
The Code of Conduct for all registered optometrists outlines specific standards in regards to providing a culturally-safe and sensitive practice for all communities and work environments. It is our goal that optometrists and businesses have the knowledge, skills and attitude to provide culturally responsive care. How will it broaden your patient base and practice efficiency? What do we need to know, be and do in order to be culturally responsive?
Framework
Toolkit
This toolkit provides practical resources to guide you, your practice and/or organisation in ensuring you are being culturally responsive. They are aligned to each section of the framework for ease of use.
Do you know of a great resource that is not in our toolkit? Let us know.
Your education
Indigenous Allied Health Australia (IAHA) Cultural Responsiveness Training modules | Utilising IAHA’s evidence-based Cultural Responsiveness Framework, Levels 1 and 2 of their market-leading training are action-oriented and highly interactive, focusing on strength-based outcomes through critical self-reflective practice. Access both levels through the Institute of Excellence: Level 1 and Level 2 |
Self-reflection checklist for optometrists | Fundamental to being a culturally responsive optometrist is ‘knowing yourself’. The checklist aims to enhance optometrists’ awareness and sensitivity to the importance of culturally responsiveness practice. It has examples of beliefs, attitudes, values and practices which foster cultural responsiveness. |
Barriers to optometric care Pharma, June 2020 (4.5T CPD hours) | Barriers to optometric care Pharma, June 2020 (4.5T CPD hours) Expanded commentary by Australian optometrists on: - Barriers to Care - Caring for culturally and linguistically diverse patients - Refugee, asylum seekers and eyecare |
Challenges in eye health care in children and strategies to improve treatment uptake (UK) | This study examining challenges in providing eye care to children found that socio-cultural factors can play a role in clinical counters, e.g. when there is a social stigma among some cultures around allowing children to wear glasses or eye patches. |
Optometrists’ perspectives on cross-cultural encounters in clinical practice (AUS) | This study found that optometrists can experience challenges when providing care to patients from different cultural backgrounds. Optometrists described language difficulties with patients that resulted in the need to adjust their management or spend more time with patients. Some optometrists expressed feeling frustrated when they encountered patients who prioritised their spectacle needs and ignored or downplayed advice given about their eye conditions. |
Communicating effectively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples | Practical guide for communicating effectively in clinical context ( QLD Health). |
Webcasts & Podcasts
Date | Title | Link | Description | Speakers |
---|---|---|---|---|
2020 | Culturally-safe service provision (1.5 NC CPD hours) | Watch | What do we need to know, be and do in order to be culturally responsive within optometry practice? | Donna Murray, IAHA |
Resources
‘Eyecare Now, Eyecare Always’ is a suite of eye health promotion resources developed by the Indigenous Eye Health Unit at Melbourne University, aimed at promoting regular eye checks in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across Australia. These resources aim to assist primary health care providers, including Aboriginal Health Workers and Practitioners, to promote regular eye checks, particularly through the annual 715 health check, and awareness of refractive error and cataract.
Glossary
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Cultural competence | A set of congruent behaviours, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, agency or among professionals and enable that system, agency or those professions to work effectively in cross-cultural situations. |
Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) | A broad and inclusive descriptor for communities with diverse language, ethnic background, nationality, dress, traditions, food, societal structures, art and religion characteristics. CALD people are generally defined as those people born overseas, in countries other than those classified by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) as “main English-speaking countries” (i.e. Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, UK and USA). |
Cultural responsiveness | The capacity of clinicians and organisations to provide care that is respectful of, and relevant to, the health beliefs, health practices, linguistic and cultural needs of patients and communities. |
Cultural safety | Cultural safety is determined by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals, families and communities. Culturally safe practise is the ongoing critical reflection of health practitioner knowledge, skills, attitudes, practising behaviours and power differentials in delivering safe, accessible and responsive healthcare free of racism. (AHPRA 2020). |