Arbeitsmedizin Sozialmedizin Umweltmedizin
Volume 53, Issue 1, 2018, Pages 54-57

Health situation of migrant and minority nurses: a systematic review [Die gesundheitliche Situation von Pflegekräften mit Migrationshintergrund] (Review)

Nienhaus A. , Handtke O. , Schulz H. , Mösko M. , Schilgen B.*
  • a Competenzzentrum Epidemiologie und Versorgungsforschung bei Pflegeberufen, Institut für Versorgungsforschung, Dermatologie und bei Pflegeberufen, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg Eppendorf, Germany, Abteilung Arbeitsmedizin, Gefahrstoffe und Gesundheitswissenschaften (AGG), Berufsgenossenschaft für Gesundheitsdienst und Wohlfahrtspflege, Hamburg, Germany
  • b Institut und Poliklinik für Medizinische Psychologie, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg Eppendorf, Germany
  • c Institut und Poliklinik für Medizinische Psychologie, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg Eppendorf, Germany
  • d Institut und Poliklinik für Medizinische Psychologie, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg Eppendorf, Germany
  • e Institut und Poliklinik für Medizinische Psychologie, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg Eppendorf, Germany, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf Institut und Poliklinik für Medizinische Psychologie Arbeitsgruppe Psychosoziale Migrationsforschung Martinistraße, 52, Gebäude West 26, Hamburg, 20246, Germany

Abstract

Objectives: Globally, life expectancy together with multimorbidity and chronic diseases are increasing. Nurses from abroad are increasingly hired to meet the growing demand for healthcare workers. The present knowledge about migrant nurses’ health is neither systematically ordered nor evaluated yet. Thus, this review systematically identifies and synthesize international publications that explicitly focus on migrant nurses’ health in comparison with that of autochthonous nurses. Methods: A systematic review of relevant studies in English and German language was undertaken in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The methodological quality assessment of the included papers was performed with the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool. Results: Out of 11,599 studies initially identified, 14 were finally included whose methodological quality is very heterogeneous. Most of the studies were carried out in the USA with nurses born on the Philippines, in India, Europe and Africa. Length of stay in the target country and elevated blood pressure correlate positively, while mild forms of depression initially subsided after some time. Ignoring their expertise was one form of discrimination that minority nurses are experiencing. Migrant nursing aides report work-related discomforts less frequently than their native colleagues. Conclusions: Migrant and minority nurses are at a higher risk of suffering occupational health hazards and experiencing discrimination than their local colleagues. While migrant nurses’ health can improve by adapting to local lifestyles in the host country, they also suffer health impairments in the long-term resulting from their daily workload. Discrimination is a major cause for impaired health of minority nurses.

Author Keywords

discrimination Occupational health hazards Migrant nurses

Index Keywords

[No Keywords available]
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85040539356&doi=10.17147%2fASU.2018-01-04-05&partnerID=40&md5=b25ad359d70eb25ca3fa5b032a5c1ea4
DOI: 10.17147/ASU.2018-01-04-05
ISSN: 09446052
Original Language: German