General practitioners’ perspectives on the management of refugee health: a qualitative study
Objective To explore general practitioners’ (GPs) perceptions of the challenges and facilitators to managing refugee healthcare needs in regional Australia.Setting A regional community in Australia involved in the resettlement of refugees.Participants Nine GPs from five practices in the region.Desig...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMJ Publishing Group
2023-03-01
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| Series: | BMJ Open |
| Online Access: | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/13/3/e068986.full |
| _version_ | 1797744390105464832 |
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| author | Michelle Guppy Rachel Davison Megan Hobbs Frances Quirk |
| author_facet | Michelle Guppy Rachel Davison Megan Hobbs Frances Quirk |
| author_sort | Michelle Guppy |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objective To explore general practitioners’ (GPs) perceptions of the challenges and facilitators to managing refugee healthcare needs in regional Australia.Setting A regional community in Australia involved in the resettlement of refugees.Participants Nine GPs from five practices in the region.Design A qualitative study based on semistructured interviews conducted between September and November 2020.Results The main challenges identified surrounded language and communication difficulties, cultural differences and health literacy and regional workforce shortages. The main facilitators were clinical and community supports, including refugee health nurses and trauma counselling services. Personal benefits experienced by GPs such as positive relationships, satisfaction and broadening scope of practice further facilitated ongoing healthcare provision.Conclusions Overall, GPs were generally positive about providing care to refugees. However, significant challenges were expressed, particularly surrounding language, culture and resources. These barriers were compounded by the regional location. This highlights the need for preplanning and consultation with healthcare providers in the community both prior to and during the settlement of refugees as well as ongoing support proportional to the increase in settlement numbers. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T15:09:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-42ed177a239147058db3618a2485116e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2044-6055 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T15:09:05Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMJ Open |
| spelling | doaj.art-42ed177a239147058db3618a2485116e2023-08-11T23:20:07ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552023-03-0113310.1136/bmjopen-2022-068986General practitioners’ perspectives on the management of refugee health: a qualitative studyMichelle Guppy0Rachel Davison1Megan Hobbs2Frances Quirk3School of Rural Medicine, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, AustraliaSchool of Rural Medicine, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, AustraliaNew England Institute of Healthcare and Research, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, AustraliaNew England Institute of Healthcare and Research, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, AustraliaObjective To explore general practitioners’ (GPs) perceptions of the challenges and facilitators to managing refugee healthcare needs in regional Australia.Setting A regional community in Australia involved in the resettlement of refugees.Participants Nine GPs from five practices in the region.Design A qualitative study based on semistructured interviews conducted between September and November 2020.Results The main challenges identified surrounded language and communication difficulties, cultural differences and health literacy and regional workforce shortages. The main facilitators were clinical and community supports, including refugee health nurses and trauma counselling services. Personal benefits experienced by GPs such as positive relationships, satisfaction and broadening scope of practice further facilitated ongoing healthcare provision.Conclusions Overall, GPs were generally positive about providing care to refugees. However, significant challenges were expressed, particularly surrounding language, culture and resources. These barriers were compounded by the regional location. This highlights the need for preplanning and consultation with healthcare providers in the community both prior to and during the settlement of refugees as well as ongoing support proportional to the increase in settlement numbers.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/13/3/e068986.full |
| spellingShingle | Michelle Guppy Rachel Davison Megan Hobbs Frances Quirk General practitioners’ perspectives on the management of refugee health: a qualitative study BMJ Open |
| title | General practitioners’ perspectives on the management of refugee health: a qualitative study |
| title_full | General practitioners’ perspectives on the management of refugee health: a qualitative study |
| title_fullStr | General practitioners’ perspectives on the management of refugee health: a qualitative study |
| title_full_unstemmed | General practitioners’ perspectives on the management of refugee health: a qualitative study |
| title_short | General practitioners’ perspectives on the management of refugee health: a qualitative study |
| title_sort | general practitioners perspectives on the management of refugee health a qualitative study |
| url | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/13/3/e068986.full |
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