RNAO and Guidelines International Network form partnership to honour Traditional Knowledge in guideline development

TORONTO, March 2, 2026 /CNW/ - Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO) and the Guidelines International Network (GIN) are launching the GIN Indigenous Communities Working Group to promote health equity and culturally safe practices in health care.

The kick off for this global initiative is a webinar taking place on March 4, 2026 that will bring together Indigenous researchers, Knowledge Keepers, Elders, guideline developers and members of the community. Their goal: to respond to health inequities rooted in colonialism and systemic racism, as well as the lack of methodological guidance for how guideline development can account for Traditional Knowledge.

As part of RNAO's Indigenous Health Program, RNAO has worked with Indigenous health organizations to adapt our best practice guidelines (BPG) so they create culturally safe spaces and meet the priorities of their local communities. The Promoting Smoking Reduction and Cessation with Indigenous Peoples of Reproductive Age and Their Communities BPGs were launched in 2022, and the Promoting Life and Prevention of Indigenous Youth Suicide BPG is now in progress.  

"The March 4 webinar is an important opportunity to begin a dialogue with Indigenous and other health-care providers serving Indigenous Peoples around the world. For too long the non-Indigenous health-care system appears to have lost sight of the knowledge about health and healing that has been the foundation of non-Indigenous medicine. Yet today a major portion of our world's population remains dependent on this knowledge. This dialogue will serve as a collaborative effort to explore how these forms of knowledge can inform each other when delivering health care to Indigenous people globally. In addition, it might well lead to an understanding of how all peoples might benefit from a more holistic approach to health and wellness," says Knowledge Keeper Dr. Ed Connors/Tecumseh.

Daniela Carl, GIN CEO, notes, "GIN, as a global connector in the guideline community with members in 56 countries, is pleased to be working with RNAO on this important initiative. It reflects GIN's commitment to improving health care by enabling collaboration, fostering meaningful connections and supporting continuous learning and improvement. Through this partnership, we support the development of guidance that is culturally grounded, methodologically robust and meaningful in real-world settings, while re-imagining guideline development in ways that promote equity, respect and lasting impact."

"There is urgency to develop guidelines that respect Indigenous knowledge, cultures and traditional practices from around the world. This means understanding and using alternative methodologies informed by the Two-Eyed Seeing approach, valuing and respecting Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing, and showing how we can practise in harmony Indigenous with Western approaches in health and social services," says Dr. Doris Grinspun, CEO of RNAO, the founder of the BPG program and vice chair of the GIN Indigenous Communities Working Group. "We are thrilled to be working with GIN and look forward to engage with Indigenous People from around the world," adds Grinspun.

Dr. Holly Graham, GIN Indigenous Communities Working Group chair, says: "Colonization has been devastating for Indigenous [First Nation, Métis, and Inuit] peoples' health and wellness. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action (2015) outline steps that Canadians can take to address the legacy of residential schools and to advance reconciliation in Canada. The truth and ongoing stories of trauma are painful to hear and undoubtedly more painful for those who have lived and continue to live with the inequalities across the social determinants of health in Canada."

Who: 

• Dr. Ed Connors/Tecumseh – Knowledge Keeper
• Daniela Carl – CEO, GIN
• Dr. Doris Grinspun – CEO, RNAO and vice chair of the ICWG
• Dr. Holly Graham – Chair, ICWG

What:  Indigenous Communities Working Group

When: March 4, 2026 (9 a.m. – 12 noon. ET/ 8 – 11 a.m. CT/2 – 5 p.m. GMT)

Where: https://rnao.ca/events/introducing-the-new-guidelines-international-network-indigenous-communities-working-group 

Guidelines International Network (GIN) was formally incorporated as a Scottish charity in 2003. GIN's mission is to improve the quality of health care by promoting the systematic development of clinical practice guidelines and supporting their implementation in practice. As a global network of organisational and individual members GIN is committed to supporting the creation and implementation of evidence-based guidelines, and maintains the world's largest international guideline library. For more information on GIN, visit our website or follow us on LinkedIn.

The Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO) is the professional association representing registered nurses, nurse practitioners and nursing students in Ontario. Since 1925, RNAO has advocated for healthy public policy, promoted excellence in nursing practice, increased nurses' contribution to shaping the health system, and influenced decisions that affect nurses and the public we serve. For more information about RNAO, visit RNAO.ca or follow us on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario

For more information, please contact: Joanne Georgeson, Membership Manager (GIN), [e-mail]; Andrea Gomez Palacio Schjetnan, Communications Officer/Writer, Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO), 416-907-7952 / 1-800-268-7199 ext. 295, [e-mail]; Marion Zych, Director of Communications, Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO), 1-800-268-7199 ext. 209, 416-408-5605, 647-406-5605 (cell), [e-mail]