Barriers to primary care among immigrants and refugees in Peterborough, Ontario: a qualitative study of provider perspectives.
BMC Prim Care
; 25(1): 199, 2024 Jun 05.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38840096
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Canada's immigrants and refugees have often settled in large Canadian cities, but this is changing with rising costs of living and rural settlement initiatives. However, little consideration is made regarding systemic changes needed to accommodate this distribution, particularly in healthcare in medium-sized cities or smaller communities. For most Canadians, primary care is an entry point into the healthcare system but immigrants and refugees face unique barriers to accessing care compared to the general Canadian population. This project aimed to better understand the barriers to accessing primary care among newcomers in Peterborough, Ontario from the perspective of newcomer service providers.METHODOLOGY:
Participants were recruited from community organizations identified by the local settlement agency, the New Canadians Centre, as having regular interactions with newcomer clients including clinics, not-for-profit organizations, and volunteer groups. Four focus groups were completed, each with three participants (n=12). A coding grid was deductively developed to guide thematic analysis by adapting Levesque et al.'s conceptual framework defining access to healthcare with five specific dimensions approachability, acceptability, availability and accommodation, affordability, and appropriateness.RESULTS:
Participants identified lack of awareness of the healthcare system, stigma, competing priorities, and direct costs as some of the barriers for newcomers. Participants highlighted barriers unique to Peterborough including proximity to services, social isolation, and a shortage of family physicians. The results also highlighted strengths in the community such as its maternal-child health programming.CONCLUSION:
The results provide a glimpse of the challenges to accessing primary care among newcomers in medium-sized communities and identify opportunities to prepare for changing settlement patterns.Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Atención Primaria de Salud
/
Refugiados
/
Grupos Focales
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Investigación Cualitativa
/
Emigrantes e Inmigrantes
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Accesibilidad a los Servicios de Salud
Límite:
Adult
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Female
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Humans
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Male
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Middle aged
País/Región como asunto:
America do norte
Idioma:
En
Revista:
BMC Prim Care
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Canadá
Pais de publicación:
Reino Unido