Uncovering rheumatologic disease in Northwest Territories

June is National Indigenous History Month. Arthritis Consumer Experts would like to highlight that arthritis affects Indigenous Peoples’ more significantly and more severely than in non-Indigenous populations. To understand and practice Indigenous health, there must be respect for Indigenous Peoples, their world views, ways of knowing, and cultural practices. The concept of health for Indigenous Peoples is relational. In other words, the state of being in good health requires alignment of physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and environmental health. In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are highlighting a study with Drs. Whitney Hung and Steven Katz from the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Alberta. They highlight the long wait times and high rate of patient no-shows or cancellations in the NWT and describe what are the biggest barriers preventing patients from accessing timely rheumatology care, and what can be done to improve access. They also comment on their study that suggests Indigenous and female patients may be disproportionately affected by access barriers and recommend what steps can be taken to ensure more equitable care for these populations. Additional learning resources ACE Advocacy: Addressing Health InequitiesACE National Survey on Arthritis and Health InequitiesCBC: N.W.T. no longer offering rheumatology services, patients must travel to Edmonton