Theme | Description | Details | Countries mentioning theme | Countries not mentioning theme in first 10 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Easy and equal access | A health care system that is easy to access for migrants | • Accessibility on the same terms as the general population: | 16 | |
◦ In health care systems with free access, free access to care for migrants. | ||||
◦ In insurance-based health care systems, migrants should have the right to be insured. | ||||
• Remove barriers to accessing secondary care. | ||||
• Special health services should be made available in areas with high migrant populations | ||||
• Service hours should adapt to the needs of their users, including migrants. | ||||
• Services should be affordable: governments should provide the necessary resources and adapt legislation to achieve this. | ||||
• Inform health professionals about the legislation related to the rights to health care for migrants in their country. | ||||
Empowerment | Empower migrants with regard to health & health determinants | • Provision of information for migrants in their own language | 15 | DK |
◦ about their rights and the functioning of the health care system and social care system. | ||||
◦ about health, illness and prevention | ||||
◦ Provide a special consultation the first time people access the health care system. | ||||
• Outside the health care sector: | ||||
◦ improving access to work as well as work and living conditions empowers migrants and may consequently | ||||
◦ improve their health. providing opportunities to learn the language of the host country will facilitate integration into the host country and consequently also access to health care. | ||||
• Participation of migrants and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) dealing with migrants in the organisation of health care services. | ||||
Culturally sensitive care | Adjust care provision to cultural differences | • Health care providers should receive specific training on cultural competencies and communication skills. | 14 | FI, UK |
• Employ cultural mediators or health care providers of migrant descent, | ||||
• Develop specialised services in case of added value to regular services can be demonstrated. | ||||
• Health education and health promotion messages should take into account cultural diversity. | ||||
Quality care | Guarantee quality of care | • Services should consider the patient as an individual and not stereotype them with the characteristics of the cultural group they are perceived of as belonging to. | 12 | DE, LT, PT, UK |
• Quality care means taking into account the individual's specific medical history and social background and giving individualised psychological support and empathy. | ||||
• Health care professionals should take the time to listen to patients and check that both parties have understood each other. | ||||
• Other factors mentioned: | ||||
◦ establishing trust, | ||||
◦ seeking truly informed consent, | ||||
◦ guaranteeing continuity of care | ||||
◦ adapting care to the person's lifestyle and their capacity to receive and self-manage care | ||||
Patient-health care provider communication | Provide interpreting and translation | • High quality interpreter services, either in person or by telephone, should be easily accessible. | 11 | BE, HU, IT, NL, PT |
• Services should take into account varying levels of both health literacy and mastery of the local language. | ||||
Respect towards migrants | Fight discrimination & prejudice, respect differences | • Practitioners should show respect, create trust, be interested and address patients without prejudice and with an open mind. | 9 | AT, BE, DE, EL, IT, PT, UK |
• Health care services should be delivered without xenophobia or any sign of racism. | ||||
• Health care providers should be motivated to deliver care for migrants with attention to their specific needs and priorities. | ||||
• A policy against acts of discrimination in health care facilities should be established and implemented. | ||||
Networking in and outside health care services | Effective networking, integrated care | • Networking within health care services and between health and social services | 8 | AT, BE, DE, EL, FR, HU, LT, SE |
• Interdisciplinarity is a priority within health care services. | ||||
• Coordination between primary care services, or between primary care and refugee-specific health care services. | ||||
• Supporting migrants to develop their social networks | ||||
• Supporting migrants or persons of migrant descent who care for other migrants. | ||||
Targeted outreach activities | Targeted outreach programmes in prevention and care | • Outreach activities in health education, screening, prevention and promotion with difficult to reach migrant groups. | 8 | AT, BE, DK, FI, LT, NL, PL, SE |
Availability of data | Data on migrants, epidemiology, research | • Health care services should be provided with relevant knowledge on health and risk factors concerning the populations they are dealing with. | 6 | DK, EL, FR, HU, IT, LT, PL, PT, SE, UK |
• Health registries | ||||
◦ should record and monitor migrant health to facilitate migrant health research. | ||||
◦ should be able to integrate patient mobility with full respect of human rights. |