TY - JOUR
KW - Chile
KW - Female
KW - Health Personnel/statistics & numerical data
KW - Health Services Accessibility
KW - Hispanic Americans/psychology
KW - Humans
KW - Latin America
KW - Male
KW - Mental Health Services/statistics & numerical data
KW - Primary Health Care/statistics & numerical data
KW - Qualitative Research
KW - Refugees/psychology
KW - Transients and Migrants/psychology
AU - A. Carreño-Calderón
AU - B. Cabieses
AU - M. E. Correa-Matus
A1 - 
AB - BACKGROUND: Since 2010 there has been a growing population of refugees and asylum seekers in Latin America. This study sought to investigate the perceived experiences and healthcare needs of refugees and asylum seekers of Latin American origin in Chile in order to identify main barriers to healthcare and provide guidance on allied challenges for the public healthcare system. METHODS: Descriptive qualitative case study with semi-structured interviews applied to refugees and asylum seekers (n = 8), healthcare workers (n = 4), and members of Non-Governmental Organizations and religious foundations focused on working with refugees and asylum seekers in Chile (n = 2). RESULTS: Although Chilean law guarantees access to all levels of healthcare for the international migrant population, the specific healthcare needs of refugees and asylum seekers were not adequately covered. Primary care and mental healthcare were the most required types of service for participants, yet they appeared to be the most difficult to access. Difficulties in social integration -including access to healthcare, housing, and education- upon arrival and lengthy waiting times for legal status of refugees also presented great barriers to effective healthcare provision and wellbeing. Healthcare workers and members of organizations indicated the need for more information about refugee and asylum-seeking populations, their rights and conditions, as well as more effective and tailored healthcare interventions for them, especially for emergency mental healthcare situations. CONCLUSIONS: All participants perceived that there was disinformation among institutional actors regarding the healthcare needs of refugees and asylum seekers in Chile. They also perceived that there were barriers to access to primary care and mental healthcare, which might lead to overuse of emergency services. This study highlights a sense of urgency to protect the social and healthcare needs of refugees and asylum seekers in Latin America.
AD - Programa de Estudios Sociales en Salud, Instituto de Ciencias e Innovación en Medicina (ICIM), Facultad de Medicina Clínica Alemana, Universidad del Desarrollo (UDD), Santiago, Chile.; Programa de Estudios Sociales en Salud, Instituto de Ciencias e Innovación en Medicina (ICIM), Facultad de Medicina Clínica Alemana, Universidad del Desarrollo (UDD), Santiago, Chile.; Programa de Estudios Sociales en Salud, Instituto de Ciencias e Innovación en Medicina (ICIM), Facultad de Medicina Clínica Alemana, Universidad del Desarrollo (UDD), Santiago, Chile.
BT - PloS one
C5 - Education & Workforce; Healthcare Disparities
CP - 11
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0241153
IS - 11
JF - PloS one
LA - eng
M1 - Journal Article
N2 - BACKGROUND: Since 2010 there has been a growing population of refugees and asylum seekers in Latin America. This study sought to investigate the perceived experiences and healthcare needs of refugees and asylum seekers of Latin American origin in Chile in order to identify main barriers to healthcare and provide guidance on allied challenges for the public healthcare system. METHODS: Descriptive qualitative case study with semi-structured interviews applied to refugees and asylum seekers (n = 8), healthcare workers (n = 4), and members of Non-Governmental Organizations and religious foundations focused on working with refugees and asylum seekers in Chile (n = 2). RESULTS: Although Chilean law guarantees access to all levels of healthcare for the international migrant population, the specific healthcare needs of refugees and asylum seekers were not adequately covered. Primary care and mental healthcare were the most required types of service for participants, yet they appeared to be the most difficult to access. Difficulties in social integration -including access to healthcare, housing, and education- upon arrival and lengthy waiting times for legal status of refugees also presented great barriers to effective healthcare provision and wellbeing. Healthcare workers and members of organizations indicated the need for more information about refugee and asylum-seeking populations, their rights and conditions, as well as more effective and tailored healthcare interventions for them, especially for emergency mental healthcare situations. CONCLUSIONS: All participants perceived that there was disinformation among institutional actors regarding the healthcare needs of refugees and asylum seekers in Chile. They also perceived that there were barriers to access to primary care and mental healthcare, which might lead to overuse of emergency services. This study highlights a sense of urgency to protect the social and healthcare needs of refugees and asylum seekers in Latin America.
PY - 2020
SN - 1932-6203; 1932-6203
T1 - Individual and structural barriers to Latin American refugees and asylum seekers' access to primary and mental healthcare in Chile: A qualitative study
T2 - PloS one
TI - Individual and structural barriers to Latin American refugees and asylum seekers' access to primary and mental healthcare in Chile: A qualitative study
U1 - Education & Workforce; Healthcare Disparities
U2 - 33156878
U3 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0241153
VL - 15
VO - 1932-6203; 1932-6203
Y1 - 2020
Y2 - Nov 6
ER -