I acknowledge that Ukrainian refugees fled their homes due to fear of persecution, affecting their physical and mental health (Seleznova et al., 2023).

Having recognised their experiences, I realised it is important to be culturally considerate of their history, beliefs and the aspects they might not feel comfortable with.

This understanding will guide my practice to ensure I communicate about their boundaries and ensure they are fully informed of every aspect of their care.

Because I informed the patient, they will be able to stop the care at any point if it becomes overwhelming.

Initially, I will assess if an interpreter is needed to allow more effective communication (Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, 2021).

Alternatively to asking for a full history, I will only gather vital information they are open to expressing, use the notes from their previous appointments and allow the remaining information to come once rapport is built.

References

Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. (2021, May). Communicating for Safety

Standard. https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/standards/nsqhs-standards/communicating-safety-standard

Lazar, P. (2022, February 25). A Ukrainian family crosses into Slovakia. Getty Images. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/andysemotiuk_in-2022-over-12-million-ukrainians-were-activity-7317548480212660225-O8_R

Migrant & Refugee Women's Health Partnership.(2019, January). Culturally Responsive

Clinical Practice: Working with people from Migrant and Refugee Backgrounds. Migrant & Refugee Women's Health Partnership. https://culturaldiversityhealth.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Culturally-responsive-clinical-practice-Working-with-people-from-migrant-and-refugee-backgrounds-Jan2019.pdf

Seleznova, V., Pinchuk, I., Feldman, I., Virchenko, V., Wang, B., & Skokauskas, N. (2023, September

25). The battle for mental well-being in Ukraine: mental health crisis and economic aspects of mental health services in wartime. Journal of Mental Health Systems, 14. 10.1186/s13033-023-00598-3

Mental Health Australia. (2021, December 8). Multicultural Australia and our mental health.

Mental Health Australia. https://www.mentalhealthaustralia.org.au/sites/default/files/docs/issue_paper_-_multicultural.pdf

Mental Health Consumer Outcomes Task Force. (2012). Mental health statement of rights

and responsibilities. https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/publications/publishing.nsf/Content/pub-sqps-rights-toc~pub-sqps-rights-2

Merton, R,. & Bateman, J. (2007, June). Social Inclusion Its importance in mental health. Mental Health Coordinating Council. https://www.mhcc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/mhcc-social-inclusion.pdf

Australian Refugee Health Practice Guide. (n.d). Management of psychological effects of torture or other traumatic events. https://refugeehealthguide.org.au/psychological-effects-of-torture-trauma/

Murphy, A., Bartovis, J., Bogdanov, S., Bozorgmehr, K., Gheorgita, S., Habicht, T., Richardson, E., Azzopardi-Muscar, N., & McKnee, M. (2023, July). Meeting the long-term health needs of Ukrainian refugees. Public Health, 220. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2023.04.015

Seleznova, V., Pinchuk, I., Feldman, I., Virchenko, V., Wang, B., & Skokauskas, N. (2023, September 25). The battle for mental well-being in Ukraine: mental health crisis and economic aspects of mental health services in wartime. Journal of Mental Health Systems, 14. 10.1186/s13033-023-00598-3 

The National Institute of Mental Health. (2024, December). Traumatic Events and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd

A significant health tradition in many communities in central and western Ukraine is the use of folk medicine (Southeastern National Tuberculosis Center, n.d). In Ukraine, there is an interest in ethnobotany and how the properties of plants benefit the human body. Adam Fischer and colleagues identified 179 plants with 324 different uses dating back to varying areas of Ukrainian peasant culture in the 1930s. Plants such as carrot roots were used in Greek-Catholic blessings on Assumption Day, and "smetannyk" to produce quality cream from livestock. The use of plants in folk medicine is memorable as it is used to heal problems from headaches to issues in a woman's gynaecological region (Kujawska et al., 2015).

While these traditions may not be held by Australians, they make up many Ukrainian refugees' perspective of healthcare and highlight the importance of educating refugees on how to utilise a new healthcare system.

References

Kujawska, M., Łuczaj, Ł., & Typek, K. (2015, December 24). Fisher's Lexicon of Slavic beliefs and customs: a previously unknown contribution to the ethnobotany of Ukraine and Poland. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 11, 85. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-015-0073-8

NMBA. (2016, June). Registered nurses standards of practice, Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. file:///Users/bethanyblogg/Downloads/Nursing-and-Midwifery-Board---Fact-sheet---Registered-nurse-standards-for-practice%20(4).PDF

SaskToday. (2018, November 4). Fedun displayed samples of a number of Ukrainian remedies, ranging from stinging nettle to chaga to rosehip. Canora Ukrainian Heritage Museum. https://libguides.murdoch.edu.au/APA/all

Southeastern National Tuberculosis Center. (n.d). Ukraine. https://sntc.medicine.ufl.edu/Content/Products/Downloads/0Ukraine%20CQRG.pdf