Clinical geneticist Dr Gareth Baynam
WA Health is part of a new multi-state project that will try to find out why so few Aboriginal Australians are accessing genetic health services.
Gareth Baynam, clinical geneticist from Genetic Services of WA (GSWA) and part of the project’s four- member WA contingent, said services such as familial cancer screening and paediatric diagnostic services were playing an increasingly important role in improving people’s health and wellbeing.
“But while genetic conditions occur in the Aboriginal population at the same rate as the rest of the population, research shows that only about a third of the Aboriginal population is accessing genetic health services,” Dr Baynam said.
“This is a concern because there is evidence that shows a willingness among Aboriginal people to access them.
“By improving the uptake among Aboriginal people, we will be helping ensure equity of access to personalised medicine and helping to close the gap of Aboriginal health disadvantage.”
Researchers in the new project will study accounts from Aboriginal patients and community members about their use of, and experiences with, genetic health services.
They will use these – along with analyses of health service policies and data – to identify the barriers that are stopping Aboriginal people from making better use of these services.
The insights gained will be used to develop resources that help tailor genetic health services to the needs of Aboriginal people and communities.
In Western Australia, all public clinical genetics services are provided by GSWA, with regular outreach clinics and tele-health consultations available to people living in remote communities.
Dr Baynam said that although the project was focused on genetic health services, it would potentially provide insights for the broader provision of health and other services to Aboriginal Australians.
WA Health will also be represented on the project by Office of Population Health Genomics (OPHG) Director Hugh Dawkins and Deputy Director, Caron Molster.
Clinical genetics services, policy units and researchers from Victoria, Queensland and the Northern Territory will also work on the project that is being funded by the Melbourne-based Lowitja Insititute, a national institute for the betterment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health.