Identifying Barriers to Healthcare Access for New Immigrants: A Qualitative Study in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

Abstract

Despite universal healthcare, immigrants often face unique challenges accessing healthcare. Employing an interpretative phenomenological analysis approach, four focus groups were conducted with 29 women and eight men from 15 different countries attending English language classes hosted at a non-governmental organization in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada in 2016 and 2017. Personal factors such as language barrier, lack of transportation, childcare and others interacted with systemic factors such as lack of appointment, long wait times, etc. delaying access at each point of contact with the healthcare system. Participants expressed dissatisfaction with the potency of medications, time spent in appointments and the way healthcare professionals communicated health information. The referral process and wait times were viewed as barriers to accessing specialist, diagnostic and acute care services. Participants were concerned that appropriate healthcare will be unavailable when needed. Strategies addressing systemic and person-specific barriers are needed to provide equitable client-centered care.

Health Care Use and Barriers to Care for Chronic Inflammatory Diseases (CID) among First and Second Generation South Asian Immigrant Children and Parents in Ontario Canada

“…Equally, attention to the everyday forms of discrimination that impact realities and access to care are needed to enhance cultural competence and non-discriminatory care, improve linguistically accessible services and foster patient provider communication [ 91 , 97 ]. As knowledge continues to emerge on the uneven access and use of health services among immigrants in the GTA, Ontario, and in Canada [ 84 , 85 , 86 ], the results emphasize the need for a comprehensive health approach to address individual and system barriers to health care in order promote equitable client-centered care [ 11 ]. For instance, policies and programs that address socio-economic inequities, racial discrimination, and health system challenges in conjunction with programs that target health knowledge, personal needs and support services at the community scale through organization like the Multicultural Inter Agency Group of Peel, the Newcomer Center of Peel, and Toronto Public Health would not only enhance knowledge and awareness of CIDS but also address structural inequities to improve population health.…”

“…At the same time, immigrants’ experience barriers unique to their immigrant identity such as linguistic barriers, health system discrimination along with cultural variations that compound access challenges and experiences [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]. This means that immigrants seeking care often face complex challenges that may not be adequately addressed by targeting barriers pertaining to the general population [ 1 , 11 ].…”

“…At the same time, immigrants' experience barriers unique to their immigrant identity such as linguistic barriers, health system discrimination along with cultural variations that compound access challenges and experiences [6][7][8][9][10]. This means that immigrants seeking care often face complex challenges that may not be adequately addressed by targeting barriers pertaining to the general population [1,11]. This is particularly important in the context of chronic inflammatory diseases (CIDs) in Canada where health care utilization has been sparsely examined, despite first and second-generation immigrants being at elevated risk of developing a CID and requiring short-and long-term care [12].…”

Polish immigrants’ access to colorectal cancer screening in Norway – a qualitative study

“…Studies focusing on immigrants have further identified language barriers, cultural beliefs, competing life demands, low health literacy level, challenges navigating health care systems and being a recent immigrant as barriers to cancer screening [11][12][13][14]. There may be delays at each contact with the health care system, as personal factors, such as language barriers and lack of transportation, may interact with systemic barriers, such as the referral process and waiting times for diagnostics testes [15].…”

Patient-Identified Solutions to Primary Care Access Barriers in Canada: The Viewpoints of Nepalese Immigrant Community Members

“… 5 Despite the universal healthcare system that is provincially administered in Canada, immigrant populations access healthcare services less, compared with Canadian-born populations. 6 , 7 Immigrants generally have better health than their Canadian-born counterparts upon their arrival, a phenomenon known as the “healthy immigrant effect.” 8 However, their general health deteriorates after a few years of migration. 9 - 11 Research in this area suggests that immigrant populations have unmet health needs due to barriers they face while accessing primary care.…”