Access to healthcare by adult refugees in the USA
Citation: Ho CH, Denton AH, Blackstone SR, et al. Access to healthcare among US adult refugees: a systematic qualitative review. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health. 2023;25(6):1426-1462.
Language: Abstract and full text available in EN.
Free to view: No.
Funding sources: Nothing noted.
What is this? In this systematic review, the authors searched for qualitative studies on barriers and facilitators for access to health care by adult refugees in the USA. They restricted their searches to articles published in English since 2000. The authors searched in June 2021 and found 64 articles.
What was found: The authors of the review found nine interrelated themes: affordability, health literacy, knowledge of the healthcare system, perception of healthcare service and quality, trust in the healthcare system, cultural and religious factors, transportation, use of social support networks, and immigration status. Access to healthcare by refugees was influenced by the interaction of these factors. The main challenges reported by refugees were fragmentation of the healthcare system and adverse social circumstances.
Implications: The authors of the review concluded that there was a need for an integrated care model to address the diverse challenges faced by refugees to access healthcare. Not only did refugee patients need expanded policies to access healthcare and better integration of services, but also additional support in areas such as navigation of social welfare programmes and access to transport.
Other considerations: The authors of the review discussed their findings in the context of culture, language, gender, religion, education, and socioeconomic status.
This summary was written by Catherine Haynes, checked by Grace Meng and finalized by William Summerskill.