Public Health Reviews
Volume 39, 2018

Strengthening effective preventive services for refugee populations: Toward communities of solution (Review) (Open Access)

Griswold K.S.* , Pottie K. , Kim I. , Kim W. , Lin L.
  • a Department of Family Medicine, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, the State University of New York, 77 Goodell St., Buffalo, NY 14203, United States
  • b Department of Family Medicine, University of Ottawa, Stewart Street, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada, Bruyère Research Institute, 85 Primrose Ave., Ottawa, ON K1R 6M1, Canada, University of Ottawa, 75 Bruyère St, Ottawa, ON K1S 0P6, Canada
  • c School of Social Work, University at Buffalo, the State University of New York, Buffalo, United States
  • d School of Social Work, University at Buffalo, the State University of New York, Buffalo, United States
  • e Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, University at Buffalo, the State University of New York, Buffalo, United States

Abstract

Refugee populations have unequal access to primary care and may not receive appropriate health screening or preventive service recommendations. They encounter numerous health care disadvantages as a consequence of low-income status, race and ethnicity, lower educational achievement, varying degrees of health literacy, and limited English proficiency. Refugees may not initially embrace the concept of preventive care, as these services may have been unavailable in their countries of origin, or may not be congruent with their beliefs on health care. Effective interventions in primary care include the appropriate use of culturally and linguistically trained interpreters for health care visits and use of evidence-based guidelines. Effective approaches for the delivery of preventive health and wellness services require community engagement and collaborations between public health and primary care. In order to provide optimal preventive and longitudinal screening services for refugees, policies and practice should be guided by unimpeded access to robust primary care systems. These systems should implement evidence-based guidelines, comprehensive health coverage, and evaluation of process and preventive care outcomes. © The Author(s). 2018.

Author Keywords

Primary care Screening Health care disparities Health insurance Refugees Preventive care Public health

Index Keywords

outcome assessment preventive health service Review primary medical care refugee ethnicity lowest income group mass screening race health literacy achievement practice guideline health care disparity health insurance human public health
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85042439304&doi=10.1186%2fs40985-018-0082-y&partnerID=40&md5=cbddd1f8acec284281f044c33dee5eeb
DOI: 10.1186/s40985-018-0082-y
ISSN: 03010422
Cited by: 3
Original Language: English