Research approaches and underlying epistemologies should be carefully considered when conducting health research involving Indigenous communities in order to be aligned with the distinct Indigenous values and goals of the communities involved. If Western research approaches are used, it is helpful to consider how they might be consistent with Indigenous ways of knowing. Among Western research approaches, realist approaches might have some congruence with Indigenous epistemologies. For health research in Indigenous communities, realist approaches might be relevant because they are based on a wholistic approach congruent with Indigenous ontologies, anchored in local knowledge, process-oriented and dynamic. The use of these approaches might make it possible to link diverse knowledge systems into action that is meaningful for Indigenous communities.

在进行涉及土著社区的健康研究时，应仔细考虑研究方法和潜在的认识论，以便与所涉及社区的独特土著价值观和目标保持一致。如果使用西方研究方法，则考虑它们如何与土著了解方法保持一致将很有帮助。在西方研究方法中，现实主义方法可能与土著认识论有一定的一致性。对于土著社区的健康研究，现实主义的方法可能是有意义的，因为它们基于与土著本体论一致的整体方法，并以本地知识，面向过程和动态为基础。这些方法的使用可能使将各种知识系统链接到对土著社区有意义的行动成为可能。