Guidelines for a repository of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health resources for optometry education

Clinical relevance: To meet accreditation requirements to embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health into optometry curricula, educators would benefit from access to a curated repository of high-quality resources.

Background: Since 2023, Australian and Aotearoa/New Zealand optometry programmes have been required to teach and assess students’ competency to provide culturally safe care for First Nations Peoples. This study aimed to develop consensusbased guidelines for creating an online repository of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health educational resources to support optometry educators.

Methods: A modified Delphi study was conducted over five months, involving up to three rounds of consensus-building. The first two rounds consisted of online surveys addressing repository content, structure, maintenance and governance. The third round was a video-conference workshop facilitated by an Aboriginal subject expert.

Results: Following round one, 66 unique responses were collated for prioritization. By the end of round three, stakeholders agreed on 12 recommendations. A key recommendation was that the repository structure align with the Optometry Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Curriculum Framework. The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) Guide to Evaluating and Selecting Education Resources was recommended for assessing resource quality. While strengths-based resources were prioritised, deficit-based resources could be included if their purpose was clearly contextualised (e.g. to illustrate racism). Governance was recommended to include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members, alongside members with teaching expertise and cultural safety training.

Conclusion: Collaboration between non-Indigenous and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders, with prioritisation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices, was critical in establishing trust and commitment. These consensus-based guidelines will support the development of an effective online repository for optometry educators.