NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Gwich'in Settlement Area, North Slave Region

Tags: social sciences, health care evaluation

Objective(s): To explore the challenges in the accessibility of primary health care for the indigenous populations living in remote communities in the Northwest Territories of Canada through the perspectives of multiple stakeholders.

Project Description: The objective of the research project is to explore the challenges in the accessibility of primary health care (PHC) for the indigenous populations living in remote communities in the Northwest Territories (NWT) of Canada by providing an insight in the differences and similarities in the perspectives of multiple stakeholders regarding concepts of ‘the accessibility of PHC’. These results will support the development of future cultural-sensitive policies. The data will be collected with semi-structured interviews (interviews that are to an extent guided by rules/questions). The participants for the interviews will be recruited in three groups; primary health care users, primary health care service providers and primary health care policy makers. There will be theoretical sampling, which means that each participant will be selected based on the participants that are already included, to gain a deeper understanding of the concepts of the study. The initial participants will be selected in and around Yellowknife and, as the study progresses, further afield in the Northwest Territories. The first interviews will be held with an appointed 'key informant' of each study group that could provide valuable insights in the relevant concepts. Based on these interviews, the interview guide will be adjusted and further data will be collected. The interviews will be held 1-on-1, face-to-face and audio will be recorded with a recording device. The interview will then be written out on the computer and processed to find relevant answers on the research questions. There will be ongoing community consultation and methods may be adjusted accordingly. The project's strategy is to have ongoing consultation with study objectives and questions to be asked. Furthermore, the study aims to contribute to the development of increased culturally sensitive policies and community-based and community-led interventions to improve access to primary health care in vulnerable communities. By returning the results of the study to the participants via email, giving presentations whenever possible and discussing the outcomes with participants or community members who are interested. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from October 22, 2014 to December 7, 2014.