International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Volume 15, Issue 10, 2018

Healthcare utilization in a large cohort of asylum seekers entering western Europe in 2015 (Article) (Open Access)

Wetzke M. , Happle C. , Vakilzadeh A. , Ernst D. , Sogkas G. , Schmidt R.E. , Behrens G.M.N. , Dopfer C. , Jablonka A.*
  • a Department of Pediatric Pneumology, Allergology, and Neonatology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, 30625, Germany, German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hannover-Braunschweig, Braunschweig, 38124, Germany
  • b Department of Pediatric Pneumology, Allergology, and Neonatology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, 30625, Germany, German Center for Lung Research, Biomedical Research in End Stage and Obstructive Lung Disease/BREATH Hannover, Hannover, 30625, Germany
  • c Hannover Medical School, Hannover, 30625, Germany
  • d Department of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, 30625, Germany
  • e Department of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, 30625, Germany
  • f German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hannover-Braunschweig, Braunschweig, 38124, Germany, Department of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, 30625, Germany
  • g German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hannover-Braunschweig, Braunschweig, 38124, Germany, Department of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, 30625, Germany
  • h Department of Pediatric Pneumology, Allergology, and Neonatology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, 30625, Germany, German Center for Lung Research, Biomedical Research in End Stage and Obstructive Lung Disease/BREATH Hannover, Hannover, 30625, Germany
  • i German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hannover-Braunschweig, Braunschweig, 38124, Germany, Department of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, 30625, Germany

Abstract

During the current period of immigration to Western Europe, national healthcare systems are confronted with high numbers of asylum seekers with largely unknown health status. To improve care taking strategies, we assessed healthcare utilization in a large, representative cohort of newly arriving migrants consisting of n = 1533 residents of a reception center in Northern Germany in 2015. Most asylum seekers were young, male adults, and the majority came from the Eastern Mediterranean region. Overall, we observed a frequency of 0.03 visits to the onsite primary healthcare ward per asylum seeker and day of camp residence (IQR 0.0–0.07, median duration of residence 38.0 days, IQR 30.0–54.25). Female asylum seekers showed higher healthcare utilization rates than their male counterparts, and healthcare utilization was particularly low in asylum seekers in their second decade of life. Furthermore, a significant correlation between time after camp entrance and healthcare utilization behavior occurred: During the first week of camp residence, 37.1 visits/100 asylum seekers were observed, opposed to only 9.5 visits/100 asylum seekers during the sixth week of camp residence. This first data on healthcare utilization in a large, representative asylum seeker cohort entering Western Europe during the current crisis shows that primary care is most needed in the first period directly after arrival. Our dataset may help to raise awareness for refugee and migrant healthcare needs and to adapt care taking strategies accordingly. © 2018 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Author Keywords

Migration Europe Germany migrant healthcare Asylum seeker Medical care Medical service Doctor Refugee

Index Keywords

Germany refugee human Refugees middle aged statistics and numerical data Aged resident asylum seeker Young Adult Humans Adolescent Infant, Newborn male preschool child female Infant Child, Preschool newborn Article receptive field health care utilization Southern Europe medical service major clinical study adult awareness migration patient attitude cohort analysis Patient Acceptance of Health Care Transients and Migrants Delivery of Health Care health care need primary health care health care delivery Child
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85054075964&doi=10.3390%2fijerph15102163&partnerID=40&md5=4dbfb6716a29f76d9ac486ee5c7845c7
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph15102163
ISSN: 16617827
Cited by: 3
Original Language: English