Within a short time, I listened to an ABC Radio National program about how doctors communicate with Indigenous patients, and I completed an online module about professional boundaries as part of risk education for my medical defence organisation. 

I was exposed to two very different opinions on the optimal kind of doctor-patient relationship.

In the ABC podcast, Aboriginal health workers and leaders were asked their advice on how to engage with Aboriginal patients.

Basic concepts such as introducing yourself, asking the patient by what name they preferred to be addressed, asking how they were and then having the doctor share some personal information with the patient (for example, where they were from, whether they were married and had children) was deemed as very important in establishing trust and facilitating open communication.