NHMRC ROAD MAP

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NHMRC ROAD MAP

• A Strategic Framework for Aboriginal and Torres
  Strait Islander Health through Research

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Road Map Challenges

• Input to Road Map workshops from over 250 people
  and 23 written submissions, versus the opinions
  of 11 RAWG members only
• Community consultation process versus expert
  panel deliberations
• Community representatives, researchers, policy
  makers and other users of research product
  involved
• End product focuses on addressing underlying
  causes of Aboriginal health disadvantage

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DOCUMENTS

• The RAWG Road Map A Strategic Framework for ATSI
  health research (revised final October 2002), now
  called the NHMRC Road Map A Strategic Framework
  for ATSI Health though Research
• Final Report of Community Consultations on the
  RAWG Road Map (Final report by consultants to
  RAWG October 2002)
• A copy of the above documents is available from
  the NHMRC website at www.health.gov.au/nhmrc/res
  earch/srdc/indigen.htm

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Consultation Process

• Open, transparent and accessible
• Engage with the diverse range of Aboriginal
  communities
• Ensure national input from all states and
  territories
• Call for written submissions (ACHSE was contacted
  to provide a submission)
• 4 two-day workshops across Australia - Perth,
  Darwin, Brisbane and Melbourne

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Road Map

• The overall objective of the Road Map is to
  support the NHMRC to advise Aboriginal and Torres
  Strait Islander communities throughout Australia,
  on the achievement and maintenance of the highest
  practicable standards of individual and public
  health, and to foster research in the interests
  of improving those standards.

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Road Map

• The overwhelming outcome of the consultation
  process was an endorsement of the directions and
  themes of the Road Map
• Seeks to combine support ongoing researcher
  driven projects in combination with various
  community identified priorities
• Endorsed all of the six major research themes
  with some modification of one theme to include
  specific mention of intervention based research
• Highlighted issues related to each of the
  research, ethics and advice domains of NHMRC

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The 6 Road Map Research Themes

• Theme 1 - Descriptive research which outlines
  pattern of health risk, disease and death. How
  can this information be utilised to improve the
  health standards of ATSI peoples?
• Theme 2 - A research focus on the factors and
  process that promotes resilience and wellbeing
  in particular but not exclusively, during the
  period of pregnancy, infancy, childhood and
  adolescence and from the basis for good health
  throughout the lifespan.

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The 6 Road Map Research Themes(cont.)

• Theme 3 - A focus on health services research
  which describes the optimum means of delivering
  preventative, diagnostic and treatment based
  health services and interventions to ATSI people.
• Theme 4 - A focus on the association between
  health status and health gain and policy and
  programs that lie outside the direct influence of
  the health sector.

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The 6 Road Map Research Themes(cont.)

• Theme 5 - A focus on engaging with research and
  action in previously under-researched ATSI
  populations and communities.
• Theme 6 - Development of the Nations ATSI health
  research capacity (including training ATSI
  researchers) and health research practice in
  relation to Aboriginal communities.

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Consultation outcomes

• Participants in the workshops emphasized the need
  to develop the Road Map with an emphasis on
• respect for culture and values
• the links between research and the achievement of
  health gain (how does change occur??)
• reform of the research enterprise in relation to
  ATSI health (ethics and mechanics of research)

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Consultation outcomes

• Breaking the cycle Addressing the underlying
  issues in relation to ATSI health
• Whilst clinical domains and specific diseases can
  be addressed within the framework, none of the
  workshops used a disease based approach to
  identify priorities

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Consultation outcomes

• Better use of existing knowledge sources data
  linkage and exploration of existing health
  information where possible with respect for
  privacy issues
• The importance of culture and community versus
  the negative impact of racism and other forces
  which undermine individual and community
  resilience

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Consultation outcomes

• Life course approach to health and the importance
  of understanding how to promote positive outcomes
  from early life transitions for Aboriginal
  children
• Broader social and economic determinants of
  health as yet poorly understood and acted upon in
  Australian context
• Health services research to improve the provision
  of health care at all levels to ATSI people

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Action

• Structural changes within NHMRC structure to
  support implementation of Road Map
• Professional secretariat to support development
  of calls for research addressing Road Map issues
• Continuing community and expert panel input to
  calls for research proposals
• Development of links with other research sectors
• Ongoing review and development

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Implementing the Road Map

• RAWG seeking agreement on and endorsement of the
  Road Map by key stakeholders
• Seeking the endorsement of key national bodies,
  including NAACHO, ATSIC, AHMAC, SCATSIH and
  NATSIHC
• NHMRC and broader research community adopting the
  Road Map

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Road Map - the future

• The NHMRC Council has endorsed the Road Map,
  renaming it The NHMRC Road Map - A Strategic
  Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait
  Islander Health through Research
• The NHMRC Council proposed a different Committee
  structure to facilitate the implementation of Key
  Road Map recommendations
• Outcomes of the Road Map consultations will form
  the basis of the NHMRCs strategic plan to
  increase its commitment and support for ATSI
  health research over the next triennium

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NHMRC Council Recommendations(144th Council
Session, Oct-02)

• Recommendation 1
• The NHMRC agreed to adopt ATSI health research as
  a strategic priority and agreed to recommend this
  course of action to the incoming Council for
  continuing acceptance.
• Recommendation 2
• The NHMRC accepted responsibility for
  implementing the Road Map and committed to
  allocating at least 5 of total annual research
  funding to ATSI health research, if necessary
  building to achieve this commitment over the
  course of the next triennium.

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NHMRC Council Recommendations(cont.)

• Recommendation 3
• The NHMRC agreed to incorporate ATSI health
  research as a strategic priority into the next
  strategic plan, including statements of strategic
  intent, principles, implementation objectives and
  key performance indicators. The NHMRC agreed to
  develop key performance indicators in the areas
  of health advice and health ethics to add to the
  strategic plan.
• Recommendation 4
• The NHMRC agreed to establish an effective
  mechanism for engaging with the Australian
  Research Council and other parties to develop a
  framework for collaborative, multi-disciplinary
  research in the area of ATSI health.

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NHMRC Council Recommendations(cont.)

• Recommendation 5
• Establishing of the NHMRC ATSI Forum, reporting
  directly to Council, responsible for the
  monitoring and evaluating implementation of the
  Road Map. Key task of the Forum would be to
  implement and monitor Councils Indigenous health
  strategy.
• Establishment of an expert ATSI Research
  sub-committee of the Research Committee. Key
  task of this sub-committee would be to develop a
  program for ATSI health research.
• The key recommendation calls for the NHMRC to
  allocate at least 5 of its total annual research
  funding to Indigenous health research.