Hospital Patient Education

The Hospital Patient Education Program was introduced in 2001. It involved ARDS Patient Educators explaining medical concepts, procedures and treatment options to Yolŋu patients in their own language and supporting medical staff in communicating successfully with Yolŋu patients. It was based at Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH).

There were also two community workers in the field supporting family members of Yolŋu patients and assisting former patients with follow up health care.

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NB: Due to a lack of funding, this Program is no longer operating.

Misunderstandings and miscommunications occur between staff and patients who operate in different languages and from different cultural perspectives. It is possible for these misunderstandings to place patient wellbeing at risk.

The Patient Educators were able to hear what Yolŋu were saying and work through the information with them at an appropriate pace. This allowed Yolŋu patients to make informed choices about their treatment.

The dramatic increase in chronic diseases and corresponding complex treatment regimes means the need for understanding of new concepts is continuous.

ARDS Patient Educators are qualified health professionals who speak one of the major languages of the Yolŋu people.

ARDS Patient Educators worked closely with both hospital staff (improving their understanding of the largest group of non-English speaking patients at the RDH) and the Aboriginal Interpreter Service (AIS - providing support and mentoring for Aboriginal language interpreters in the hospital).