Standing Up for Culturally Competent Care in Portugal: The Experience of a “Health in Equality” Online Training Program on Individual and Cultural Diversity

Alarcão, Violeta; Roberto, Sandra; França, Thais; Moleiro, Carla

doi:10.3390/soc12030080

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Additionally, disrespect towards the culture of migrants and refugees, in the form of discrimination or xenophobia, is also a well-known barrier to health care ( 3 , 38 , 40 , 45 ), further compromising access. Results from a training program on cultural and individual diversity for primary healthcare providers in Portugal during the COVID-19 pandemic showed an improvement in cultural diversity awareness, knowledge, and skills, and contributed to reducing feelings of discrimination among healthcare professionals ( 46 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring refugees’ health care access in times of COVID-19: a quantitative study in the Lisbon region, Portugal

Portela,

Hamwi,

Oliveira Martins

2024

Front. Public Health

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BackgroundTo address the health needs of refugees, health services must be culturally competent and facilitate this population’s access to health care, especially in a context prone to the amplification of social inequities, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. However, few quantitative studies exist in the European Union, and to the extent of our knowledge, there are no published quantitative studies exploring refugees’ access to health care during the pandemic in Portugal. The objective of this study is to describe the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of refugees living in Lisbon and to explore their healthcare access patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional, descriptive, and quantitative study from May to November 2022. Using Levesque’ s theory on health care access, we designed and applied a 38-item questionnaire through face-to-face interviews with refugees living in Lisbon for at least 12 months, and used descriptive statistics to characterize sociodemographic and healthcare access profiles during the pandemic.ResultsThe mean age of the 36 recruited refugees was 35 years (SD = 10.24), the majority were male (56%), married (72%), had at least a secondary education (69%), were unemployed (77.8%), and had a median length of stay in Portugal of 17 months (IQR = 45). All were registered in a primary care center, and 94% used healthcare services during the pandemic. The majority never tested positive for the coronavirus (58%) and one out of the positive was admitted to hospital due to severe COVID-19. A total of 97% received COVID-19 vaccination, of which 69% had an incomplete schedule. A quarter of the participants did not have access to information about COVID-19 in a language they understood, and although 97% needed health care during the pandemic, more than half (63%) did not seek it because of structural and cultural barriers. Half of the respondents had difficulty getting medical advice by phone or email, and 39.4% could not afford a medical examination or treatment. Only 18.2% sought counseling services. A total of 58.8% of the participants felt like healthcare professionals did not always show respect towards their culture, and 64.7% reported that healthcare professionals did not always discuss treatment options with them.ConclusionThis study’s findings highlight the need to endow inclusive communication, cultural competency, and patient involvement in health care, alongside improving the socioeconomic condition of refugees. Identified population characteristics and barriers to health care access by refugees in this study may inform future research on the health care needs of refugees in Portugal and ultimately assist in the devising of strategies to reduce inequalities in health care access.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring refugees’ health care access in times of COVID-19: a quantitative study in the Lisbon region, Portugal

Portela,

Hamwi,

Oliveira Martins

2024

Front. Public Health

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“…Besides, six of these interventions have been developed entirely through the internet. Additionally, the use of these technologies received positive feedback from participants and the training team, appreciating the advantages of distance learning and adaptability to the nature of healthcare activities and their work schedules (e.g., [95]).…”

Section: Description Of Cultural Competence Intervention Programsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cultural Competence Interventions in European Healthcare: A Scoping Review

De-María,

Topa,

López-González

2024

Healthcare

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Europe is undergoing rapid social change and is distinguished by its cultural superdiversity. Healthcare is facing an increasing need for professionals to adapt to this environment. Thus, the promotion of cultural competence in healthcare has become a priority. However, the training being developed and their suitability for the European context are not well known. The aim of this qualitative study has been to map the scientific literature in order to comprehend the current state of research on this topic. For this purpose, we conducted a systematic scoping review of the empirical publications focused on cultural competence interventions for healthcare professionals in European countries. The search was conducted in eight thematic (PsycINFO, MedLine, and PubPsych) and multidisciplinary databases (Academic Search Ultimate, E-Journals, Scopus, ProQuest, and Web of Science) to identify relevant publications up to 2023. Results were presented qualitatively. Out of the initial 6506 records screened, a total of 63 publications were included. Although the interventions were implemented in 23 different European countries, cultural competence interventions have not been widely adopted in Europe. Significant heterogeneity was observed in the conception and operacionalización of cultural competence models and in the implementation of the interventions. The interventions have mostly aimed at improving healthcare for minority population groups and have focused on the racial and ethnic dimensions of the individual. Future research is needed to contribute to the conceptual development of cultural competence to design programs tailored to European superdiversity. This scoping review has been registered in OSF and is available for consultation.

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“…Alarcão et al [17] discussed the training programme "Health in Equality", which aimed to train the primary healthcare providers in Portugal. The training consisted of nine 4 h online modules and covered a variety of topics, such as ethnic/racial minorities, global mobility and refugees, sex and gender, spirituality and religion, mental health and wellbeing, reproductive and sexual health, sexual orientation, gender identities, and intersectionality.…”

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confidence: 99%