What are the thoughts of health workers involved in caring for asylum seekers and refugees?
A single-centre qualitative study was conducted at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital ED in Glasgow, Scotland, between January and March 2023.
Volunteering emergency department care providers, 6 doctors and 6 nurses, were interviewed and the analysis revealed four themes:
• staff attitudes, with positive views of the participants in providing care for asylum seekers and refugees;
• presentation patterns, with significant variations in opinion (one-third of participants, for example, believed there was no difference in presentations compared with the general population);
• challenges to optimal care, with multiple subthemes which impact care (for example the challenge of the ED triage system); transition in care, with concerns regarding arranging safe, and
• appropriate follow-up for asylum seekers and refugee patients.
Doherty C, Quinn J, Lowe DJ, et al. Views of emergency care providers in providing healthcare for asylum seekers and refugees. Emergency Medicine Journal. Published Online First: 22 June 2024.
doi: 10.1136/emermed-2024-213899