Cultural safety training for working with Indigenous people is becoming a common part of physician education. The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada has said all medical residency programs will be required to include cultural safety training.
“We know that Indigenous people have a very different experience in the health care system, for reasons related to racism and a lack of understanding of history and different perspectives on health and wellbeing,” said Dr. Lisa Richardson, cochair of the college’s Indigenous Health Committee. “It is imperative that all health care providers have that understanding.”
Cultural safety training generally includes education on foundational concepts, like the power relationships between patients and health care providers, as well as the history of colonization and self-reflection on the provider’s own biases. But Indigenous people are not a homogenous group, and training programs are not always suited to every local context. Read more in CMAJ.