Assessing refugee healthcare needs in Europe and implementing educational interventions in primary care: a focus on methods

Abstract

The current political crisis, conflicts and riots in many Middle Eastern and African countries have led to massive migration waves towards Europe. European countries, receiving these migratory waves as first port of entry (POE) over the past few years, were confronted with several challenges as a result of the sheer volume of newly arriving refugees. This humanitarian refugee crisis represents the biggest displacement crisis of a generation. Although the refugee crisis created significant challenges for all national healthcare systems across Europe, limited attention has been given to the role of primary health care (PHC) to facilitate an integrated delivery of care by enhancing care provision to refugees upon arrival, on transit or even for longer periods. Evidence-based interventions, encompassing elements of patient-centredness, shared decision-making and compassionate care, could contribute to the assessment of refugee healthcare needs and to the development and the implementation of training programmes for rapid capacity-building for the needs of these vulnerable groups and in the context of integrated PHC care. This article reports on methods used for enhancing PHC for refugees through rapid capacity-building actions in the context of a structured European project under the auspices of the European Commission and funded under the 3rd Health Programme by the Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency (CHAFEA). The methods include the assessment of the health needs of all the people reaching Europe during the study period, and the identification, development, and testing of educational tools. The developed tools were evaluated following implementation in selected European primary care settings.

Migrant women’s experiences of pregnancy, childbirth and maternity care in European countries: A systematic review

“…A previous qualitative evidence synthesis [25] has explored both migrant women's care experiences and their perceived care needs for data published prior to June 2010. However, an updated review was deemed important with the acknowledgement that changing global, political and economic climates have led to increased migration into Europe [2,26]. This includes recent political unrest and conflict in many Middle Eastern and Sub-Saharan countries [26], the updated rights of free movement of citizens and their families within the European Economic Area laid down in a Directive in 2004 [27] and an increased recognition of the need to integrate the health needs of migrants and refugees into national health strategies [2].…”

“…However, an updated review was deemed important with the acknowledgement that changing global, political and economic climates have led to increased migration into Europe [2,26]. This includes recent political unrest and conflict in many Middle Eastern and Sub-Saharan countries [26], the updated rights of free movement of citizens and their families within the European Economic Area laid down in a Directive in 2004 [27] and an increased recognition of the need to integrate the health needs of migrants and refugees into national health strategies [2]. This review therefore aimed to provide up-to-date systematic evidence on migrant women's experiences of pregnancy, childbirth and maternity care in their destination country within Europe.…”

Development and evaluation of a web-based capacity building course in the EUR-HUMAN project to support primary health care professionals in the provision of high-quality care for refugees and migrants

“…It was one of the core interventions of the project. The online course was designed under the leadership of the MedUni in Work Package (WP 6) of the project, which had the aim to translate available knowledge and guidelines into capacity building training programs [21]. The design of the course was informed by results of the other WPs of the EUR-HUMAN project (see Figure 1): interviews with refugees (living in hotspots, transit centers and long-term stay centers) GPs, and other personnel involved across different organizational levels of PHC [15–17], as well as via an international systematic and narrative literature review [23] and an expert consensus meeting [24].…”

“…The project EUR-HUMAN overall aimed to strengthen the knowledge and skills of PHC professionals in European countries involved in PHC for refugees, asylum seekers and other newly arrived migrants; second, it aimed to support the PHC professionals in European countries to provide high-quality primary care for refugees in an informed, integrated, person-centered, as well as competent and safe way (both for the refugee and the provider) [21]. …”

Impact of the Refugee Crisis on the Greek Healthcare System: A Long Road to Ithaca

“…Measles and polio vaccinations are generally awarded the highest priority [48,49,53,54]. In the same year, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) emphasized that assessment of vaccination status should be considered as a fundamental part of the general health assessment offered to asylum seekers upon arrival [48,50].…”