Zeitschrift fur Medizinische Psychologie
Volume 18, Issue 3-4, 2009, Pages 162-169

Improving health care for immigrants and refugees as exemplified by Leipzig, Germany [Verbesserung der Gesundheitsversorgung von Migrant(inn)en und Flüchtlingen am Beispiel von Leipzig] (Article)

Wittig U.* , Schumacher G. , Merbach M. , Brähler E.
  • a Universität Leipzig, Medizinische Fakultät, Selbständige Abteilung für Medizinische Psychologie und Medizinische Soziologie, Philipp-Rosenthal-Straße 55, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
  • b Universität Leipzig, Medizinische Fakultät, Selbständige Abteilung für Medizinische Psychologie und Medizinische Soziologie, Philipp-Rosenthal-Straße 55, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
  • c Evangelisches Zentralinstitut für Familienberatung Berlin, Germany
  • d Universität Leipzig, Medizinische Fakultät, Selbständige Abteilung für Medizinische Psychologie und Medizinische Soziologie, Philipp-Rosenthal-Straße 55, 04103 Leipzig, Germany

Abstract

Immigrants and refugees differ from native-born Germans in their understanding of health and illness, in their health-related behaviours and in their access to the health care system. Thus, concepts and approaches that include the needs of immigrants allow the integration of immigrants into the health care system. In this article, one of these concepts will be presented. The project Health needs Communication is an example of best practice in this field within the former East German territory, where the history and the circumstances of immigrants and refugees are different from those of the former West German territory. The results of the project show that the training and employment of information multipliers, community translators and the work of a consultation centre increase the immigrants' and refugees' use of/access to health care services.

Author Keywords

Migration culture communication Health Best practice

Index Keywords

[No Keywords available]
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-73549123889&partnerID=40&md5=721f88fff6da084969831efa412cdc75
ISSN: 09405569
Cited by: 2
Original Language: German