Access to Primary Health Care by New and Established Immigrants in Canada

Abstract

Aim: To investigate barriers related to access to primary health care by new andestablished immigrants in a western Canadian province. Background: The immigrant population continues to rise in Canada; butimpediments to the access of immigrants to primary health care may be threateningtheir health and well-being. Methods: In total, 12 new and established immigrants participated in our focusedethnographic study. Data obtained from semi-structured interviews was analysed usingthe framework of Roper and Shapira assisted by the use of ATLAS.ti the qualitativeanalysis software package. Findings: We identified four main factors that create barriers to access ofprimary health care services: (1) information barriers that impede navigation of thehealth care system by immigrants; (2) communication barriers arising from languagedifficulties and cultural differences; (3) socioeconomic barriers that make medicalexpenses unaffordable and the provision of services inequitable; and (4) negativeprior experiences that discourage further use of services. We reveal that Canadianprimary health care, although universally available, does not necessarily provideequitable care to new and established immigrants because they face considerablebarriers in accessing and navigating these services