3 research outputs found
Experiences with treating immigrants: a qualitative study in mental health services across 16 European countries
While there has been systematic research on the experiences of immigrant
patients in mental health services within certain European countries,
little research has explored the experiences of mental health
professionals in the delivery of services to immigrants across Europe.
This study sought to explore professionals’ experiences of delivering
care to immigrants in districts densely populated with immigrants across
Europe.
Forty-eight semi-structured interviews were conducted with mental health
care professionals working in 16 European countries. Professionals in
each country were recruited from three areas with the highest proportion
of immigrants. For the purpose of this study, immigrants were defined as
first-generation immigrants born outside the country of current
residence, including regular immigrants, irregular immigrants, asylum
seekers, refugees and victims of human trafficking. Interviews were
transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis.
The interviews highlighted specific challenges to treating immigrants in
mental health services across all 16 countries including complications
with diagnosis, difficulty in developing trust and increased risk of
marginalisation.
Although mental health service delivery varies between and within
European countries, consistent challenges exist in the experiences of
mental health professionals delivering services in communities with high
proportions of immigrants. Improvements to practice should include
training in reaching appropriate diagnoses, a focus on building trusting
relationships and measures to counter marginalisation
Health care for immigrants in Europe : Is there still consensus among country experts about principles of good practice? A Delphi study
Background: European Member States are facing a challenge to provide accessible and effective health care services for immigrants. It remains unclear how best to achieve this and what characterises good practice in increasingly multicultural societies across Europe. This study assessed the views and values of professionals working in different health care contexts and in different European countries as to what constitutes good practice in health care for immigrants. Methods: A total of 134 experts in 16 EU Member States participated in a three-round Delphi process. The experts represented four different fields: academia, Non-Governmental Organisations, policy-making and health care practice. For each country, the process aimed to produce a national consensus list of the most important factors characterising good practice in health care for migrants. Results: The scoring procedures resulted in 10 to 16 factors being identified as the most important for each participating country. All 186 factors were aggregated into 9 themes: (1) easy and equal access to health care, (2) empowerment of migrants, (3) culturally sensitive health care services, (4) quality of care, (5) patient/health care provider communication, (6) respect towards migrants, (7) networking in and outside health services, (8) targeted outreach activities, and (9) availability of data about specificities in migrant health care and prevention. Although local political debate, level of immigration and the nature of local health care systems influenced the selection and rating of factors within each country, there was a broad European consensus on most factors. Yet, discordance remained both within countries, e. g. on the need for prioritising cultural differences, and between countries, e. g. on the need for more consistent governance of health care services for immigrants. Conclusions: Experts across Europe asserted the right to culturally sensitive health care for all immigrants. There is a broad consensus among experts about the major principles of good practice that need to be implemented across Europe. However, there also is some disagreement both within and between countries on specific issues that require further research and debate
Health care for immigrants in Europe: Is there still consensus among country experts about principles of good practice? A Delphi study
Background: European Member States are facing a challenge to provide
accessible and effective health care services for immigrants. It remains
unclear how best to achieve this and what characterises good practice in
increasingly multicultural societies across Europe. This study assessed
the views and values of professionals working in different health care
contexts and in different European countries as to what constitutes good
practice in health care for immigrants.
Methods: A total of 134 experts in 16 EU Member States participated in a
three-round Delphi process. The experts represented four different
fields: academia, Non-Governmental Organisations, policy-making and
health care practice. For each country, the process aimed to produce a
national consensus list of the most important factors characterising
good practice in health care for migrants.
Results: The scoring procedures resulted in 10 to 16 factors being
identified as the most important for each participating country. All 186
factors were aggregated into 9 themes: (1) easy and equal access to
health care, (2) empowerment of migrants, (3) culturally sensitive
health care services, (4) quality of care, (5) patient/health care
provider communication, (6) respect towards migrants, (7) networking in
and outside health services, (8) targeted outreach activities, and (9)
availability of data about specificities in migrant health care and
prevention. Although local political debate, level of immigration and
the nature of local health care systems influenced the selection and
rating of factors within each country, there was a broad European
consensus on most factors. Yet, discordance remained both within
countries, e. g. on the need for prioritising cultural differences, and
between countries, e. g. on the need for more consistent governance of
health care services for immigrants.
Conclusions: Experts across Europe asserted the right to culturally
sensitive health care for all immigrants. There is a broad consensus
among experts about the major principles of good practice that need to
be implemented across Europe. However, there also is some disagreement
both within and between countries on specific issues that require
further research and debate