Differences in the utilization of the emergency department between migrant and non-migrant populations
Citation: Acquadro-Pacera G, Valente M, Facci G, et al. Exploring differences in the utilization of the emergency department between migrant and non-migrant populations: a systematic review. BMC Public Health. 2024;24:963.
Language: Abstract and full text available in EN.
Free to view: Yes.
Funding sources: Fondazione Cariplo (grant number 2022-1447)
What is this? Migrant populations often rely on emergency department (ED) services for healthcare needs, but they may experience inequalities and face barriers when accessing care in comparison to non-migrant populations.
In this systematic review, the authors searched for peer-reviewed articles of comparisons between migrants’ and non-migrants’ utilization of ED, without geographic restrictions for the country setting. They restricted their searches to articles published in English or Italian with data from 2012 to March 2023, and did the search on March 20th, 2023. They included 23 articles; all but one were quantitative studies, the other being qualitative. The studies were conducted in 12 countries.
What was found: The included studies did not suggest a clear pattern regarding whether migrants access EDs more or less than non-migrants. Some studies agreed that migrants tend to access EDs for less urgent conditions, more often lack a referral from a general practitioner (GP), and access the ED as walk-ins more frequently compared to non-migrants. Migrants are also discharged against medical advice more often compared to non-migrants. Finally, migrants present to EDs for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions (ACSC) more often than non-migrants, but both groups accessed EDs for ACSC significantly more than what is commonly considered acceptable.
Implications: The authors of the review stated that more research is needed to understand the migrants’ need for and access to healthcare.
Other considerations: The authors of the review discussed their findings in the context of place of residence, race, ethnicity, language, and socioeconomic status.
This summary was prepared by Giulia Acquadro Pacera, checked by Grace Meng, and finalized by Helen Worthington.