Library News

Citing Indigenous knowledge

Q: "I interviewed several Mi’kmaq elders for a report on Indigenous medical traditions. The interviews were not recorded. How should I cite this correspondence in APA style?"

A: You can do this in one of two ways:

1. APA 7th ed. – Personal Communications

If the interviews are not available to readers in some recorded format (e.g., video, audio, written transcript), the American Psychological Association (2020, p. 260) recommends that traditional knowledge of Indigenous peoples be treated as a form of personal communication. No reference list entry is required, but you should provide an in-text citation with the following components:

• the person’s full name
• the nation or specific Indigenous group to which they belong
• their location
• other details about them that you think are relevant
• the words “personal communication”
• the exact date of correspondence

Example of in-text citation:
(George Bernard, Membertou First Nation, Mi’kma’ki, lives in Membertou, Unama'ki, personal communication, October 4, 2023)

2. Citation templates specifically designed for Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers

Indigenous scholar, Lorisia MacLeod (2021), in partnership with staff of the NorQuest Indigenous Student Centre, created citation templates for both APA and MLA style to better respect and acknowledge Indigenous oral traditions. She reasons that “to use the [APA or MLA] template for personal communication is to place an Indigenous oral teaching on the same footing as a quick phone call, giving it only a short in-text citation (as is the standard with personal communication citations) while even tweets are given a reference citation” (MacLeod, 2022, p. 2). Numerous institutions across Canada and the United States have adopted these templates.

MacLeod suggests including an entry in the reference list, in addition to the in-text citation recommended by APA (see above), using this format:

Last name, First initial. Nation/Community. Treaty Territory if applicable. Where they live if applicable. Topic/subject of communication if applicable. personal communication. Month Date, Year.

Example of reference list entry:
Bernard, G. Membertou First Nation. Mi’kma’ki. Lives in Membertou, Unama’ki. Mi’kmaq medicines. personal communication. October 4, 2023.

Note: It is always important to ask how an individual wishes to identify themselves and their community.

We'll share more copyright Q&A in future blog posts. In the meantime, reach out to Copyright@nshealth.ca with your copyright question or book a one-on-one consultation.

To learn more, visit our Copyright subject guide, register for Copyright 101 on the LMS or request a custom copyright education session for your team. We’re here to help!

References

1. American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

2. MacLeod, L. (2021). More than personal communication: Templates for citing Indigenous elders and knowledge keepers. KULA: Knowledge Creation, Dissemination, and Preservation Studies 5(1). https://doi.org/10.18357/kula.135. CC BY 4.0.

Lana MacEachern

Library Technician
Pictou/Colchester-East Hants/Cumberland Region

Roxanne MacMillan

Librarian Educator
Halifax Infirmary, Central Zone

Writing in plain language matters. In Canada, it’s reported that nine million people have limited literacy skills, with over half of Canadians reading below a high school level. This is just one of the reasons why it is important to offer additional support to patients and families with easy-to-read, straightforward patient pamphlets. For more information about creating or updating patient pamphlets, please visit the Content Creator Toolkit. Please contact Pamphlets@nshealth.ca with any questions. You can search for pamphlets by title, keyword, or four-digit pamphlet number in the pamphlets catalogue, or view the complete listing of active titles in our Print Code Index.

The following pamphlets were updated or created in October 2023. 

Arabic Translations
AR85-2369 Screening for Diabetes During Pregnancy (Arabic) (English: 2299; en français: FF85-2338)
AR85-2370 Screening for Diabetes After Pregnancy (Arabic) (English: WK85-2300; en français: FF85-2339)
AR85-2371 I Have Diabetes and I Can Have a Healthy Baby! Pregnancy Information for Individuals with Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes (Arabic) (English: WK85-2301; en français: FF85-2340)

Emergency & Public Health 
WA85-2127 Coxsackievirus (Hand-Foot-and-Mouth Disease and Herpangina) (En français: FF85-2190)

Hospitals
WX85-2120 Continuing Care - Important Information for You (En français: FF85-2188)

Medications
QV85-2179 Oral Magnesium Supplements - Integrated Chronic Care Service
QV85-0453 Managing Pain After Surgery (En français: FF85-1339)

Mental Health & Addictions
WM85-2117 Mental Health and Addictions Adult Outpatient Services - Colchester East Hants Health Centre and Lloyd E. Matheson Centre 

Nervous System
WL85-0059 Stereotactic Biopsy - QE II Health Sciences Centre

Otorhinolaryngology
WV85-2033 After Your Child's Tonsillectomy or Adenoidectomy Surgery - Valley Regional Hospital
WV85-2034 Myringotomy Tubes - Valley Regional Hospital

Palliative Care
WD85-0983 When Someone You Love Dies by Suicide

Surgery
WO85-2053 Quality Care for Surgery Patients - Society for Vascular Surgery's Vascular Quality Initiative

Kendell Fitzgerald

Librarian Educator
Central Zone

UPDATED: May 15, 2024

Dynamic Health round-up posts keep you informed about implementation and use of Dynamic Health at Nova Scotia Health. They highlight any new priority projects and events as well as updates to our Workplace Notes and Custom Workplace Skills.

Updates: Workplace Notes

We receive feedback submissions on an ongoing basis through the Suggest an Edit form and through partnerships with departments and teams. This month, the following customizations have been added:

• No Note
  • We have added a notification to any skill that was reviewed through our standard processes and found to not need a Workplace Note. The notification includes a link to our Suggest an Edit form. Example: Applying a Spinal Board Using Lift and Slide
• Minor Edits due to Publisher Updates
  • Changing Burn Dressings
  • Drawing Capillary Blood Gases: Respiratory Therapy
  • Creating Advance Healthcare Directives for Patients With Mental Health Disorders
  • Performing Manual External Defibrillation in Adults
  • Supporting Caregivers of Patients With Cancer
• Shrinking and Shaping a Residual Limb: Physical and Occupational Therapy
  • Edited to reflect that within NS Health we do not use safety pins to secure, only tape (i.e., nothing sharp).

Checklists

Did you know that Skills within Dynamic Health have associated Checklists you can use in practice and for instructing new staff? Let’s say you were interested in mentoring a colleague using the Dynamic Health skill Changing Peripheral IV Catheter Dressings in Adults.

1. Navigate to the skill through Dynamic Health by searching “Changing IV Catheter” or through direct link (above).
2. From the Skill menu, select Checklist.
3. Note that the printable version of this checklist contains a form to allow you to record evaluator and examinee names and signatures, date and pass/fail status as appropriate.
4. Select the printer icon to the upper right of the Checklist.
5. Select the sections to include in the Checklist (Preprocedure Steps, Procedure Steps, Postprocedure Steps.
6. Select Print.
7. Choose to print a physical copy or to save a PDF to your computer, depending on your settings and needs.

Calling all Reviewers! Skills Review Push – Fall 2023

What’s a skills review push?

Back in the Winter of 2023, you may have supported Dynamic Health implementation by volunteering to evaluate skills within Dynamic Health. This process involved determining if a skill was part of current practice and if it aligned with Nova Scotia Health resources like policy. This process enabled us to review over 500 skills at the time! There are a lot of skills left in Dynamic Health that need a look! Many could better align with practice at Nova Scotia Health, so we’re asking for your support to do another round of review.

How do I get involved?

Be curious and engage! Explore Dynamic Health and look up skills that:

• You and/or your colleagues know a lot about
  • Is there a workplace note? Do you have any edits?
  • Does it need a workplace note?
• You and/or your colleagues have frequent questions about
  • Is it helpful?
  • Is there room for improvement?

After you explore, take a moment to fill out our brief form to indicate your intention to participate as a reviewer: https://library.nshealth.ca/DH-Call-Reviewers. Please express your interest through this form by November 30th, 2023. We will follow up with you directly after this date with the number of skills that you indicated you are willing to take on.

How can I learn more and help spread the word?

You’ll find the recording and slides from our recent Lunch and Learn – Skills Review 101 here: https://library.nshealth.ca/Dynamic-Health-Support/Lunch-Learn#s-lg-box-16713274. Content from this session can be reused to help you in your efforts. Share the following information about the skills review push:

• Links to relevant skills with workplace notes
• Call for Reviewers form (above)

Continuing education credit is another great incentive to get involved. Check out our latest update about Practice and Leadership Premiums here: https://library.nshealth.ca/Dynamic-Health-Support/CE-Credits.

Health Promotion in November and Dynamic Health Topics

November 2023 marks the promotion of:

• Fall Prevention Month
• Movember
• World Diabetes Day November 14

In recognition of these health promotion events, we encourage you to engage with the curated list of Dynamic Health content below.

If you spot any Skills below that you feel need a Workplace Note, consider being a reviewer! Fill out our Suggestions for Skills form with your notes and we will get in touch!

Fall Prevention Month

• Disease & Condition Overviews
  • Hip Fracture
  • Orthostatic Hypotension, Adult
  • Subdural Hematoma, Adult
• Signs & Symptoms
  • Muscular Weakness, Adult
  • Waddling Gait
• Skills
  • Implementing a Fall Prevention Plan
  • Educating Older Adults About Fall Prevention: Physical and Occupational Therapy
  • Assessing Fall Risk in Adults: Physical Therapy
• Patient Handouts
  • Exercises to Help Prevent Falls
  • How to Prevent Falls

Movember

• Disease & Condition Overviews
  • Prostate Cancer
  • Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)
• Signs & Symptoms
  • Pelvic Pain, Male
  • Urinary Hesitancy
  • Urinary Retention, Adult
• Skills
  • Caring for Urinary Catheter Following Transurethral Resection of the Prostate (TURP)
  • Assessing Male Genitalia
• Patient Handouts
  • Prostate Cancer
  • Transurethral Resection of the Prostate
  • Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
  • Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Test

World Diabetes Day

• Disease & Condition Overviews
  • Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus, Adult
  • Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Adult
• Signs & Symptoms
  • Hypoglycemia, Adult
  • Hyperglycemia, Adult
• Skills
  • Educating About Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus in Adults
  • Educating About Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Adults
  • Caring for the Diabetic Foot
  • Managing Hypoglycemia in Conscious Adults
  • Managing Hypoglycemia in Unconscious Adults
• Patient Handouts
  • Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease: What’s the Link?
  • Taking Care of Your Diabetes When You Are Sick
  • Type 1 Diabetes
  • Type 2 Diabetes

Dynamic Health Project Team

Amanda Revels
Professional Practice Leader
Interprofessional Practice & Learning, Western Zone

Leah MacDonald
Professional Practice Leader
Interprofessional Practice & Learning, COVID-19 Response

Katie McLean
Librarian Educator
Interprofessional Practice & Learning, Library Services

Margaret Meier
Policy Lead
Policy Office

Ann Slaunwhite
Library Technician
Interprofessional Practice & Learning, Library Services