213 “aMigo” : Improving migrants’ access to and navigation in healthcare services at a Local Health Unit in Lisbon
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: EP3.1, e-Poster Terminal 3, September 3, 2025, 10:35 - 11:00 Aim: Migrants often face significant barriers in accessing and navigating healthcare systems, including linguistic, cultural, and structural challenges. At São José Local Health Unit (ULS) in Lisbon, where more than 8.8% of users are foreign nationals, these difficulties impact both healthcare professionals and migrant patients, limiting effective service provision and equitable access to care. This project aims to implement four-level initiatives by September 30th, 2025, to enable long-term improvements in migrant access and navigation within ULS São José’s healthcare services. Methods: The project is structured around four strategic axes: developing an intranet-based platform to provide healthcare professionals with culturally competent resources for migrant patient care; implementing a training program on migration and cultural competence for ULS professionals; creating and disseminating an online multilingual platform with information on healthcare access, patient rights, and health literacy topics for migrant users, in partnership with migrant organizations and community associations; and conducting two quantitative studies—one targeting ULS professionals and the other migrant users—to assess barriers in healthcare access and navigation. Results: With this intervention, we expect to achieve the following outcomes: ensure the availability of a fully operational intranet platform for professionals, with at least 90% of users reporting satisfaction; deliver all planned training sessions with full participant enrollment; provide multilingual healthcare access materials in at least nine languages, with 90% of users expressing satisfaction; report the studies’ findings to the ULS administration to support policy and resource adjustments. Conclusion: This intervention seeks to address structural barriers by enhancing information accessibility and professional training. Its findings will support long-term institutional policies and decision-making, foster?continuous improvements in migrant healthcare access and?integration at ULS São José, and provide a replicable model for other healthcare institutions seeking to improve migrant inclusion.
Authors: Ms Mariana Pinção Cardoso, Bruno Novo Castro, Maria Helena Almeida
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,181
OpenAlex ID: W4417104121
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