Rural health research that supports better care for Aboriginal and Indigenous communities is at the heart of a new publication co-authored by UCRH researcher Jane Linton. The paper marks the sixth and final article in the international Moving Forward Together series, published in the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy.
Titled Moving Forward Together. Part 6: Transforming Musculoskeletal Health Physical Therapy for Indigenous Peoples – A Call to Action, the article brings together lessons, recommendations and reflections from across the series. It encourages physical therapists, organisations and health systems to take practical steps to improve musculoskeletal health care for Indigenous Peoples.
The series was developed to help clinicians, educators and researchers bring Indigenous health to the forefront of their work. Drawing on Indigenous and non-Indigenous perspectives, it highlights the importance of listening, learning and working together to create more culturally responsive care.
This latest paper reflects on the journey behind the series, which grew into an international collaboration involving 29 contributors from Australia and beyond. The authors describe it not as a finished project, but as the beginning of an ongoing effort to improve health outcomes through partnership, advocacy and shared learning.
A key theme throughout the series is the importance of centring Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing. The final article brings together calls to action at individual, organisational and system levels, encouraging readers to reflect on the recommendations from all six papers and consider how they can contribute to meaningful change.
The publication builds on earlier Moving Forward Together journal articles which you can read about in Moving Forward Together for Better Care and UCRH researcher contributes to international Indigenous health research series. Together, the articles highlight a growing body of work focused on improving musculoskeletal health and wellbeing for Indigenous Peoples.
Moving Forward Together. Part 6: Transforming Musculoskeletal Health Physical Therapy for Indigenous Peoples—A Call to Action was published in the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy.
