Yarning with Aboriginal patients

Video resources Yarning about weight: Building trust through social yarning and Yarning about weight: Setting goals and supporting change through management yarning offer practical techniques to create a more supportive and culturally safe environment for Aboriginal people to discuss their weight-related health concerns.  

We know Aboriginal health is not just physical wellbeing but the social, emotional, and cultural wellbeing of the whole community. These videos encourage meaningful conversations about weight management, free from stigma, and focused on holistic wellbeing. 

When social yarning and management yarning techniques are used to support Aboriginal clients, they are more likely to feel comfortable discussing sensitive weight concerns, better understand the health impacts of excess weight, actively participate in developing management strategies and follow through with lifestyle changes and treatments. 

These videos are supplementary resources that align with the broader Clinical Yarning framework. These resources were developed to enhance clinical communication between health practitioners and Aboriginal patients. Social and management yarning are integral components of the Clinical Yarning framework, which support improved communication and understanding in Aboriginal health care. These videos are practical tools which aim to complement the broader Clinical Yarning e-learning modules and videos developed by the WA Centre for Rural Health, aiming to support practitioners in communicating in a respectful and culturally appropriate way with Aboriginal patients.

For further information on Clinical Yarning:
Visit the website www.clinicalyarning.org.au

Watch the video Clinical Yarning Introduction

Read the paper Yarn with me: applying clinical yarning to improve clinician–patient communication in Aboriginal health care

Effective communication is the central to quality, evidenced based health care. For most practitioners, communicating effectively takes awareness, effort, practice, and ongoing reflection. 

Raising the topic of weight with clients can be difficult due to stigma and feelings of shame and practitioners report not wanting to offend people, so they often avoid talking about weight. Clients report they are comfortable to talk about their weight when it is relevant to their appointment, in context to their health and wellbeing and if it is done in a way that is safe and non-judgmental. 

When talking with Aboriginal clients, cultural and linguistic differences can make communication challenging, and information can be overlooked or misinterpreted.  

Social yarning can help to establish a connection, develop trust and create a safe environment with Aboriginal clients. It is client-led, allowing them to guide the conversation and creates a more relaxed, conversational tone, helping them to feel more comfortable sharing information. 

Management yarning facilitates better communication between health care practitioners and their clients, supporting them to better understand their health needs and treatment options, leading to more informed choices and commitment to management plans. 

It provides the opportunity to ask questions, discuss management options and develop a shared and agreed plan. It requires practitioners to be flexible and adapt their style of communication according to the client’s knowledge, health literacy, life experiences, and preferred learning style. 

An agreed plan can be as brief as asking the client to verbalise what they are going to do after today’s yarn. Using open-ended questions can assist the client to be specific about what they want to achieve, how they intend to do it and when they plan to do it. Exploring options that are realistic and achievable is the key to success. Documenting an agreed plan can bring further clarity for both the client and the practitioner and validate the client’s story. It acts as a reminder for follow-up visits.  

Measuring progress can also be useful for some people to build their confidence and take ownership to achieve their goal.