Table 2.
Grey literature.
| Author (Year) | Methods | Study Population and Response Rate | Focus | Relevant Findings | MMAT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workforce Working Group (2017) [45] Australia | Qualitative Consensus | None. Working party consensus with input from Indigenous health stakeholders. |
Framework to guide IHW workforce policy and planning. | Six strategies (with suggested actions) for a stronger workforce: improve recruitment and retention, improve skills and capacity, provide culturally-safe workplaces, increase number of health students, improve completion rates for health students, improve health workforce planning and policy. | N/A |
| Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives (2014) [46] Australia | Mixed methods Survey, yarning circles and forums | 67 participants (57 CATSINaM Members (nurses or student nurses, approx. 28% of total membership) and 11 non-Members). Yarning Circles: unspecified. Forums: unspecified. |
Proposed solutions for a revised mentoring program for Indigenous nurses. | Mentoring was identified as a priority strategy to improve retention among Indigenous nurses through the provision of cultural support and preceptoring relationships. | 25% |
| Health Workforce Australia (2014) [47] Australia | Qualitative Interviews | 13 Indigenous health leaders (3 CEOs, 3 middle management, 2 clinical management, 5 academics; 9 participants also current or former clinicians). Response rate: 65% of identified key informants. |
Challenges faced by Indigenous health leaders and recommendations to support and develop current and future leaders. | Shortage of Indigenous health leaders causes high workloads and stress. Covert and systemic racism in the health system contributes to stress. Need for cultural competency for all health leaders. Need to improve overall legitimacy, credibility and support for Indigenous health workforce. Need for succession planning and mentoring to develop future Indigenous health leaders. |
75% |
| Health Workforce Australia (2011) [48] Australia | Mixed methods Interviews, survey and focus groups |
923 health professionals. Survey: 351 IHWs (response rate of 22–35%), 100 managers. Focus Groups: 264 IHWs, 100 managers, 25 health professionals. Interviews: 138 key informants. |
How the IHW workforce can be strengthened. | Barriers that affect retention of IHWs include: low salary and salary inequities, lack of job security, burn-out, lack of respect and support, and limited career progression opportunities. Other challenges for IHWs include limited professional development opportunities, racism and lack of cultural security in the workplace and inadequate supervision. Enablers to retention: high job satisfaction, strong ties to the community and wanting to make a difference for the community. Effective retention strategies included: supportive management structure, respect from colleagues, Indigenous leadership in the health workforce, culturally safe workplace, flexible working conditions, and access to professional development. |
75% |
| Health Workforce Australia (2011) [19] Australia | Mixed methods Interviews, survey and focus groups |
1052 health professionals. Survey: 351 IHWs (response rate of 22–35%), 100 managers. Focus Groups: 264 IHWs, 100 managers, 25 health professionals. Interviews: 212 key informants (138 individuals in Phase 1 and 74 individuals in Phase 2). |
Policies and strategies that aim to strengthen and sustain the IHW workforce. | Makes 27 recommendations to support and strengthen the IHW workforce including recommendations to improve retention (such as addressing salary inequities). Includes the HWA Health Service Toolkit (Appendix F) which provides actions that health services can undertake to support IHWs and address retention challenges. |
75% |
CATSINaM: Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives. HWA: Health Workforce Australia. N/A: Not applicable. This publication was not suitable for quality appraisal with the MMAT scoring system.