“We Are Bridging That Gap”: Insights from Indigenous Hospital Liaisons for Improving Health Care for Indigenous Patients in Alberta

Link, Claire MacKinnon

“We Are Bridging That Gap”: Insights from Indigenous Hospital Liaisons for Improving Health Care for Indigenous Patients in Alberta

dc.contributor.advisor	Voyageur, Cora Jane
dc.contributor.author	Link, Claire MacKinnon
dc.contributor.committeemember	Ducey, Ariel
dc.contributor.committeemember	Barnabé, Cheryl Carmelle Marie
dc.date	2020-11
dc.date.accessioned	2020-07-06T13:46:12Z
dc.date.available	2020-07-06T13:46:12Z
dc.date.issued	2020-06-30
dc.description.abstract	This thesis explores the insights of five Indigenous Hospital Liaisons working in Alberta Health Services hospitals to improve health care for Indigenous patients. Indigenous people in Canada often encounter difficulties and obstacles when accessing health care. Previous studies have described the negative experiences that many Indigenous people encounter within hospitals and other health care facilities. Limited research in Alberta prevents an understanding of context-specific barriers that may exist. Additionally, the insights of Indigenous Hospital Liaisons are a new area of research. These frontline employees work directly with Indigenous patients to help them navigate barriers and ultimately improve their hospital experiences. This research uses a strength-based approach to highlight the dedication that Indigenous Hospital Liaisons have to Indigenous patients and provide a more positive image of Indigenous people. In addition to pointing out barriers they believe are commonly encountered by Indigenous people in Alberta, the Indigenous Hospital Liaisons in this research highlight existing resources that can benefit Indigenous patients. They also share their suggestions for changes that may improve hospital experiences for Indigenous people. The findings of this research provide a welcome contrast to the mass of negative and often deficit-based research that dominates the Indigenous health literature and suggest a more positive and optimistic view of the future of health care for Indigenous people in Alberta. Specific recommendations are provided based upon the findings and suggestions for future research involving Indigenous Hospital Liaisons are discussed.	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Link, C. M. (2020). “We Are Bridging That Gap”: Insights from Indigenous Hospital Liaisons for Improving Health Care for Indigenous Patients in Alberta (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.	en_US
dc.identifier.doi	http://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/37971
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/1880/112249
dc.language.iso	eng	en_US
dc.publisher.faculty	Arts	en_US
dc.publisher.institution	University of Calgary	en
dc.rights	University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.	en_US
dc.subject	Indigenous Health	en_US
dc.subject	Health Care Experiences	en_US
dc.subject	Health Care Access	en_US
dc.subject	Strength-Based Research	en_US
dc.subject	Indigenous Studies	en_US
dc.subject	Canadian Health Care	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Education--Health	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Education--Social Sciences	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Native American Studies	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Sociology	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Public Health	en_US
dc.title	“We Are Bridging That Gap”: Insights from Indigenous Hospital Liaisons for Improving Health Care for Indigenous Patients in Alberta	en_US
dc.type	master thesis	en_US
thesis.degree.discipline	Sociology	en_US
thesis.degree.grantor	University of Calgary	en_US
thesis.degree.name	Master of Arts (MA)	en_US
ucalgary.item.requestcopy	true	en_US