Health care for irregular migrants: pragmatism across Europe. A qualitative study

Marie Dauvrin; Vincent Lorant; Sima Sandhu; Walter  Devillé; Hamidou Dia; Sónia Dias; Andrea Gaddini; Elisabeth  Ioannidis; Natasja Koitzsch Jensen; Ulrike  Kluge; Ritva Mertaniemi; Rosa Puigpinós i Riera; Attila  Sárváry; Christa Straßmayr; Mindaugas Stankunas; Joakim JF Soares; Marta  Welbel; Stefan  Priebe

Health care for irregular migrants: pragmatism across Europe. A qualitative study

Marie Dauvrin, Vincent Lorant, Sima Sandhu, Walter Devillé, Hamidou Dia, Sónia Dias, Andrea Gaddini, Elisabeth Ioannidis, Natasja Koitzsch Jensen, Ulrike Kluge, Ritva Mertaniemi, Rosa Puigpinós i Riera, Attila Sárváry, Christa Straßmayr, Mindaugas Stankunas, Joakim JF Soares, Marta Welbel, Stefan Priebe

Section of Health Services Research

48 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Abstract. Background: Health services in Europe face the challenge of delivering care to a heterogeneous group of irregular migrants (IM). There is little empirical evidence on how health professionals cope with this challenge. This study explores the experiences of health professionals providing care to IM in three types of health care service across 16 European countries. Results: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with health professionals in 144 primary care services, 48 mental health services, and 48 Accident & Emergency departments (total n = 240). Although legal health care entitlement for IM varies across countries, health professionals reported facing similar issues when caring for IM. These issues include access problems, limited communication, and associated legal complications. Differences in the experiences with IM across the three types of services were also explored. Respondents from Accident & Emergency departments reported less of a difference between the care for IM patients and patients in a regular situation than did respondents from primary care and mental health services. Primary care services and mental health services were more concerned with language barriers than Accident & Emergency departments. Notifying the authorities was an uncommon practice, even in countries where health professionals are required to do this. Conclusions: The needs of IM patients and the values of the staff appear to be as important as the national legal framework, with staff in different European countries adopting a similar pragmatic approach to delivering health care to IM. While legislation might help to improve health care for IM, more appropriate organisation and local flexibility are equally important, especially for improving access and care pathways.

Original language	English
Journal	BMC Research Notes
Volume	5
Issue number	99
ISSN	1756-0500
Publication status	Published - 2012

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1756-0500-5-99.pdf

Cite this

Dauvrin, M., Lorant, V., Sandhu, S., Devillé, W., Dia, H., Dias, S., Gaddini, A., Ioannidis, E., Jensen, N. K., Kluge, U., Mertaniemi, R., Puigpinós i Riera, R., Sárváry, A., Straßmayr, C., Stankunas, M., Soares, J. JF., Welbel, M., & Priebe, S. (2012). Health care for irregular migrants: pragmatism across Europe. A qualitative study. BMC Research Notes, 5(99). http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1756-0500-5-99.pdf

Dauvrin, M, Lorant, V, Sandhu, S, Devillé, W, Dia, H, Dias, S, Gaddini, A, Ioannidis, E, Jensen, NK, Kluge, U, Mertaniemi, R, Puigpinós i Riera, R, Sárváry, A, Straßmayr, C, Stankunas, M, Soares, JJF, Welbel, M & Priebe, S 2012, 'Health care for irregular migrants: pragmatism across Europe. A qualitative study', BMC Research Notes, vol. 5, no. 99. <http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1756-0500-5-99.pdf>

@article{1a441d70c0a44dfca6c9148c7ea00d46,

title = "Health care for irregular migrants: pragmatism across Europe. A qualitative study",

abstract = "Abstract. Background: Health services in Europe face the challenge of delivering care to a heterogeneous group of irregular migrants (IM). There is little empirical evidence on how health professionals cope with this challenge. This study explores the experiences of health professionals providing care to IM in three types of health care service across 16 European countries. Results: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with health professionals in 144 primary care services, 48 mental health services, and 48 Accident & Emergency departments (total n = 240). Although legal health care entitlement for IM varies across countries, health professionals reported facing similar issues when caring for IM. These issues include access problems, limited communication, and associated legal complications. Differences in the experiences with IM across the three types of services were also explored. Respondents from Accident & Emergency departments reported less of a difference between the care for IM patients and patients in a regular situation than did respondents from primary care and mental health services. Primary care services and mental health services were more concerned with language barriers than Accident & Emergency departments. Notifying the authorities was an uncommon practice, even in countries where health professionals are required to do this. Conclusions: The needs of IM patients and the values of the staff appear to be as important as the national legal framework, with staff in different European countries adopting a similar pragmatic approach to delivering health care to IM. While legislation might help to improve health care for IM, more appropriate organisation and local flexibility are equally important, especially for improving access and care pathways.",

author = "Marie Dauvrin and Vincent Lorant and Sima Sandhu and Walter Devill{\'e} and Hamidou Dia and S{\'o}nia Dias and Andrea Gaddini and Elisabeth Ioannidis and Jensen, {Natasja Koitzsch} and Ulrike Kluge and Ritva Mertaniemi and {Puigpin{\'o}s i Riera}, Rosa and Attila S{\'a}rv{\'a}ry and Christa Stra{\ss}mayr and Mindaugas Stankunas and Soares, {Joakim JF} and Marta Welbel and Stefan Priebe",

year = "2012",

language = "English",

volume = "5",

journal = "BMC Research Notes",

issn = "1756-0500",

publisher = "BioMed Central Ltd.",

number = "99",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Health care for irregular migrants: pragmatism across Europe. A qualitative study

AU - Dauvrin, Marie

AU - Lorant, Vincent

AU - Sandhu, Sima

AU - Devillé, Walter

AU - Dia, Hamidou

AU - Dias, Sónia

AU - Gaddini, Andrea

AU - Ioannidis, Elisabeth

AU - Jensen, Natasja Koitzsch

AU - Kluge, Ulrike

AU - Mertaniemi, Ritva

AU - Puigpinós i Riera, Rosa

AU - Sárváry, Attila

AU - Straßmayr, Christa

AU - Stankunas, Mindaugas

AU - Soares, Joakim JF

AU - Welbel, Marta

AU - Priebe, Stefan

PY - 2012

Y1 - 2012

N2 - Abstract. Background: Health services in Europe face the challenge of delivering care to a heterogeneous group of irregular migrants (IM). There is little empirical evidence on how health professionals cope with this challenge. This study explores the experiences of health professionals providing care to IM in three types of health care service across 16 European countries. Results: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with health professionals in 144 primary care services, 48 mental health services, and 48 Accident & Emergency departments (total n = 240). Although legal health care entitlement for IM varies across countries, health professionals reported facing similar issues when caring for IM. These issues include access problems, limited communication, and associated legal complications. Differences in the experiences with IM across the three types of services were also explored. Respondents from Accident & Emergency departments reported less of a difference between the care for IM patients and patients in a regular situation than did respondents from primary care and mental health services. Primary care services and mental health services were more concerned with language barriers than Accident & Emergency departments. Notifying the authorities was an uncommon practice, even in countries where health professionals are required to do this. Conclusions: The needs of IM patients and the values of the staff appear to be as important as the national legal framework, with staff in different European countries adopting a similar pragmatic approach to delivering health care to IM. While legislation might help to improve health care for IM, more appropriate organisation and local flexibility are equally important, especially for improving access and care pathways.

AB - Abstract. Background: Health services in Europe face the challenge of delivering care to a heterogeneous group of irregular migrants (IM). There is little empirical evidence on how health professionals cope with this challenge. This study explores the experiences of health professionals providing care to IM in three types of health care service across 16 European countries. Results: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with health professionals in 144 primary care services, 48 mental health services, and 48 Accident & Emergency departments (total n = 240). Although legal health care entitlement for IM varies across countries, health professionals reported facing similar issues when caring for IM. These issues include access problems, limited communication, and associated legal complications. Differences in the experiences with IM across the three types of services were also explored. Respondents from Accident & Emergency departments reported less of a difference between the care for IM patients and patients in a regular situation than did respondents from primary care and mental health services. Primary care services and mental health services were more concerned with language barriers than Accident & Emergency departments. Notifying the authorities was an uncommon practice, even in countries where health professionals are required to do this. Conclusions: The needs of IM patients and the values of the staff appear to be as important as the national legal framework, with staff in different European countries adopting a similar pragmatic approach to delivering health care to IM. While legislation might help to improve health care for IM, more appropriate organisation and local flexibility are equally important, especially for improving access and care pathways.

M3 - Journal article

SN - 1756-0500

VL - 5

JO - BMC Research Notes

JF - BMC Research Notes

IS - 99

ER -

Health care for irregular migrants: pragmatism across Europe. A qualitative study

Abstract

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Cite this