Abstract
Background: Australia does not compare well to other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries of the same level of industrialisation, ranking in the lower third due to comparatively high rates of Indigenous infant mortality. The issue of infant care practices is multifaceted and requires a holistic interpretation of relevant data to guide quality advice and practice by health care workers and services. The System First Model for Creating Change focuses on development of organisational capability as a foundation for creating supported and sustainable evidence-base change in health care. This approach builds healthy public policy, creates supportive environments, strengthens community action, develops personal skills and re-orients health services, which are essential strategies for successful health promotion identified within the WHO Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. Objectives: The objectives of this presentation are to 1. Share an approach based on the Systems First Model for Creating Change in the context of effective safe infant sleep health promotion and action in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities; 2. Outline how to achieve strong commitment from organisations and clear systems to embed evidence-based education into practice; 3. Share sustainable modes of culturally appropriate staff education for safe infant sleeping and reducing the presence of risk factors for SUDI. Methods: This presentation will outline a collaborative Queensland program which has contributed to the first four key elements identified in the System First Model for Creating Change: Evidence and Strong Commitment: incorporation of the revised 2012 Australian Safe Sleep, My Baby campaign and risk minimisation approach to co-sleeping into policy and guidelines for several influential government and peak professional bodies to promote consistency of parent advice about safe sleeping will be discussed; Clear Systems: commitment to a) provide Safe Sleep education for health workers has been embedded into current state Safe Sleeping guidelines; b) identify family safe sleep practices has been integrated into clinical pathways, parent discharge information and community health follow-up. Staff Education: a free, culturally appropriate safe sleeping eLearning program targeted to support health workers in Indigenous communities has been developed, tested, and integrated into resource support by government and nongovernment agencies in response to an identified need. Results: Multidisciplinary policy and guideline development and culturally appropriate educational interventions, emerging from a search for evidence to support best practice, demonstrate how this model can support Health Workers to lead the way as child advocates for better services, education and family support, and how the results of such programs may positively impact government and public health agendas. Conclusion: Health promotion and preventive actions need to be targeted and culturally appropriate if we are to influence infant mortality attributed to Sudden Unexpected Deaths in Infancy, of which over 95% is associated with preventable risk factors. Strong commitment, clear systems and effective education programs will lead to positive and sustained changes in health professional practice and ultimately contribute to a reduced incidence of SUDI for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.