Challenges of Refugee Health Care: Perspectives of Medical Interpreters, Case Managers, and Pharmacists

Abstract

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The Challenges of the Health Care Providers in Refugee Settings: A Systematic Review

“…Using relatives for interpreting is found to "improve patient comfort and facilitate communication," whereas it may also jeopardize the "accuracy of history taking and overall patient-provider interaction." 14 This view is also supported by the argument that having family members translate for refugee patients does not comply with culturally competent care. 25 The importance of a professional interpreter, even when patients understand the language of the receiving country, was considered by frontline health care providers to be necessary in order for them to catch the nuances in the description of symptoms and support patients who have limited language proficiency.…”

“…Therefore, patient involvement can be a huge challenge for health care providers in the provision of preventive health care and proper follow-ups for refugee populations. [12][13][14] A study on Somalian immigrant women and their experiences with American doctors provides a good example of how expectations and different understandings can impact health providers' services to culturally diverse groups. To exemplify, the immediacy of diagnosis and prescription in Somalian Similarly, medical practices change from culture to culture, and the roles expected from providers may not match the roles assigned to health providers in the host country.…”

“…Although time-consuming, the use of open-ended questions during appointments is extremely important because it was observed that refugees tend to answer "yes" when asked questions that could simply be answered "yes" or "no." 14 Many health care providers are aware that their day-to-day work does not only require extended time and duration, but also increased occurrences of appointments when patients are refugees. With the increased number of appointments, which are lengthy and complex, the providers have to carry the burden of the "time taken away from other patient groups."…”

“…Furthermore, support through training and guidance for providers is usually neglected, as shown in many articles discussing the need for more training for health care providers who are "ill-equipped to deal with difficulties in service provision." 27 The following areas can be found in different sources as requiring training and/or support: 14,16,17,[37][38][39] • Legal processes and entitlements underlying refugee status;…”

Imagine a World …

“…Kotovicz and colleagues describe perspectives of medical interpreters, case managers, and pharmacists who support refugee health care. 12 Five topical challenges, ranging from inadequate education offered in advance of medical encounters to scheduling follow-up appointments, were covered. Also gleaned from interviewees were ideas on how to address such hurdles going forward.…”