Equity in Health Care: A Qualitative Study with Refugees, Health Care Professionals, and Administrators in One Region in Germany

Abstract

Introduction. Equity in health is an essential issue and it would appear that it is not guaranteed for all human beings, especially refugee groups. The aim of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore the experiences of refugees, health care professionals, and administrators of refugee health care in a host country. Methods. The study used qualitative methods which consisted of a convenience sample of stakeholders directly and indirectly involved in care for refugees and refugees themselves. The study participants were located in a rural area in the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Focus groups and interviews were conducted with 25 participants. A semistructured interview guideline was used for the focus groups and interviews. The data were evaluated using qualitative content analysis. Results. Four main categories were identified which are important for equity in health care: legal aspects, sociocultural aspects, environmental aspects, and communication aspects. Legal frameworks and language barriers were perceived as strong barriers for accessing health care. Conclusions. The findings suggest that the host countries should address the specific needs of this population group at a systemic and individual level. Based on the views of the participants interviewed it can be concluded that the refugee population group is particularly affected by limited access to health care services. Bureaucratic barriers, unfamiliarity with a new health system, and language issues all contribute to limiting access to health care services.

Health Care for Refugees in Europe: A Scoping Review

“…Twenty-two studies reported results on health care access for refugees and asylum seekers, such as formal and bureaucratic barriers in reception countries [7][8][9][10][11][12][13], during flight [4,14], and the influence of length of stay and legal status on the use of health care services [7,8,[15][16][17][18]. Five studies [18][19][20][21][22] took into account the use of health care by groups under vulnerable conditions, such as refugees with mental illnesses.…”

Refugees’ Opinions about Healthcare Services: A Case of Turkey

“…In studies conducted with refugees in different countries, it is seen that the common problem is the language barrier for access to healthcare services [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ]. In our study, the participants living in Şanlıurfa and Kilis stated that they sometimes had difficulty expressing themselves to healthcare professionals.…”

Turnover and Retention Strategies Among Mental Health Workers

“…The research question guiding the study is: What strategies do healthcare administrators use to retain their MHWs with more than 2 years of experience? For the purposes of this study, health care administrators (HCAs) were de ned as nonclinical professionals who make decisions related to the dayto-day administrative operations of health care facilities and hospitals and ensure adherence to healthcare laws and regulations (Guo, Berkshire, Fulton, & Hermanson, 2019;Hahn, Steinhäuser, & Goetz, 2020). Mental health workers were those who provide treatment, documents care, and meet the primary health care needs of patients with mental illness or behavioral problems (Herschell, Kolko, Hart, Brabson, & Gavin, 2020).…”