Year: 2022
Type: conference-paper
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Aims • To consider the healthcare inequality experienced by asylum seeker populations in accessing primary and tertiary paediatric services in Glasgow • To determine whether access to appropriate specialist care is delayed in these populations • To assess how barriers to healthcare delivery in this population have been exacerbated by the pandemic • To explore the use of the Respond(1) model in screening for inherited metabolic disorders in a vulnerable cohort Methods • The Scottish National Service for Inherited Metabolic Disorders cares for a number of asylum seeking families where the diagnostic or therapeutic journey has been interrupted by geographical relocation • We reviewed our population of asylum seeking patients for evidence of difficulty accessing initial and on-going healthcare, and explored the nature of these difficulties Results • Within this population, barriers to healthcare access included limited knowledge of accessing primary care, lack of access to transport (in one example, a father walked 5 miles with his child to attend an appointment), language barriers, unavailable or confiscated medical records (in one example, mobile phones containing medical information were seized in Dublin Airport, with written information in English only on how to reclaim them), lack of access to financial support, and lack of access to community-based paediatric care • Access to healthcare in the pandemic has been affected by lack of face-to-face primary and tertiary care appointments, and lack of access to face-to-face interpreting services, which has a significant impact on the communication and discussion around complicated inherited conditions • In patients receiving specialist treatment in other countries, relocation and a need to seek the appropriate healthcare once placed causes delay in regular treatment schedules, such as in patients receiving enzyme replacement therapy • Protective factors included access to a specialist health visitor who was able to assist with co-ordination of care Conclusion • Healthcare of asylum seekers with inherited metabolic disorders, already complex to deliver effectively, has been affected by the pandemic • Communication barriers and access to transport are key issues that have been exacerbated by the pandemic • A family-centred approach, such as the Respond model, could benefit all family members and the wider health service, particularly when considering inherited disease • Approximately 5000 asylum seekers are dependent on government support at any one time in Scotland, almost all live in Glasgow(4). Their acute care was highlighted during the Park Inn Hotel attack of 2020. We must learn from the contributing factors to reduce the intergenerational trauma experienced by this population References Farrant, O et al. Why asylum seekers deserve better healthcare and how we can give it to them. BMJ. Jan 2022; 376:n3069 Zawarhah, HJ et al. Demographics of consanguinity in Palestinians with orofacial clefts: a non-randomised longitudinal study. The Lancet. 2019;393:S55 Tadmouri, GO et al. Consanguinity and reproductive health among Arabs. Reprod health. 2009;6:7 Scottish Government. Ending destitution together. Available from: https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/strategy-plan/2021/03/ending-destitution-together/documents/ending-destitution-together-strategy-improve-support-people-no-recourse-public-funds-living-scotland-2021-2024/ending-destitution-together-strategy-improve-support-people-no-recourse-public-funds-living-scotland-2021-2024/govscot%3Adocument/ending-destitution-together-strategy-improve-support-people-no-recourse-public-funds-living-scotland-2021-2024.pdf [accessed 15th February 2022]
Authors: Elise Cole, Alana Christie
Institution: Royal Hospital for Children
Language: English
Topic: Migration, Health and Trauma
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
OpenAlex ID: W4292120848