Pacific healthcare workers and their treatment interventions for Pacific clients with alcohol and drug issues in New Zealand.

Aim: To provide an overview of the treatment interventions and practices of Pacific alcohol and other drugs (AOD) services in New Zealand.

Methods: Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 31 Pacific staff members from 13 services registered with the Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand National Directory. Issues around assessment, treatment interventions, outcome measures, service structure, and resources were explored.

Results: Overall, the practices in District Health Board (DHB) and Non-Government Organisation (NGO) Pacific services were found to be similar. The clinical concepts of assessment, treatment, and outcome measures were not clearly understood by Pacific workers. This was due to the lack of attention towards Pacific concepts and practices and values. A holistic approach was viewed to be the best approach when working with Pacific clients based on health belief models, such as the Fonofale model.

Conclusions: The findings of this study provide baseline data of treatment interventions and service practices of Pacific AOD services. There appears to be a Pacific way of working with Pacific clients. The most effective worker for Pacific people is someone who has sound knowledge of AOD, Pacific cultures and processes, and has the ability to integrate both Palangi (European) and Pacific knowledge to help the client.