080 Building a global foundation for indigenous health perspectives in shared decision making (indigenous symposium)

Shared Decision Making (SDM) in healthcare is a patient-centred approach that acknowledges the importance of involving patients in healthcare decisions. SDM is gaining prominence, it often overlooks the perspectives of Indigenous populations. This abstract explores the crucial need for establishing a global foundation incorporating Indigenous health perspectives into SDM. Indigenous communities worldwide confront distinct healthcare challenges due to historical disparities, cultural disparities, and socioeconomic factors. Integrating Indigenous voices, values, and traditional knowledge into healthcare decision-making is vital for achieving equitable health outcomes. However, current healthcare systems often need to address these issues more. This initiative proposes creating a global network that collaborates with Indigenous communities, international leaders, and healthcare experts to advance Indigenous health perspectives within the SDM framework. The network's objectives include: Promoting Cultural Competence: Understanding Indigenous cultures and traditions among healthcare providers and policymakers to integrate cultural competence into SDM. Empowering Indigenous Communities: Through capacity-building initiatives and education, Indigenous communities can actively engage in healthcare decision-making, ensuring alignment with values and preferences. Bridging Knowledge Gaps: Facilitating research and knowledge-sharing to bridge the divide between Western medical knowledge and Indigenous traditional healing practices, enabling a holistic healthcare approach. Advocating for Policy Change: Serving as a platform for advocating policy changes prioritising Indigenous health perspectives and addressing healthcare disparities. Promoting Ethical and Inclusive Practices: Centralising ethical considerations, including informed consent and respect for Indigenous data sovereignty, to uphold the rights and dignity of Indigenous populations. Establishing a global foundation for Indigenous health perspectives within SDM is crucial for fostering more inclusive and equitable healthcare systems. This represents a pivotal step toward ensuring that healthcare decisions genuinely reflect all patients' diverse needs and viewpoints, including Indigenous populations. It aims to enhance health outcomes and cultivate a fairer, more inclusive healthcare environment for Indigenous communities worldwide.