Documenting patient diversity would support more tailored, culturally responsive care and better outcomes
Mainstream primary health care services play important roles in delivering high quality, affordable care to refugees, and general practitioners are the main providers of health assessments after their arrival. During 2019–20, Australia welcomed more than 11 000 of the 18 750 refugees foreseen for this period by our Offshore Humanitarian Program, before the COVID‐19 pandemic closed our international border.1 Refugees come from diverse backgrounds and have a wide range of acute, chronic and preventive health needs.2 Delivering care to people from refugee backgrounds can be challenging,2,3 and effectively measuring the impact of interventions to enhance care is fundamental.
The full article is accessible to AMA members and paid subscribers. Login to read more or purchase a subscription now.
Please note: institutional and Research4Life access to the MJA is now provided through Wiley Online Library.
- 1. Australian Department of Home Affairs. Australia’s Offshore Humanitarian Program: 2019–20. Revised Sept 2020. https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/research-and-stats/files/australia-offshore-humanitarian-program-2019-20.pdf (viewed July 2021).
- 2. Farley R, Askew D, Kay M. Caring for refugees in general practice: perspectives from the coalface. Aust J Prim Health 2014; 20: 85–91.
- 3. Robertshaw L, Dhesi S, Jones LL. Challenges and facilitators for health professionals providing primary healthcare for refugees and asylum seekers in high‐income countries: a systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative research. BMJ Open 2017; 7: e015981.
- 4. Russell GM, Long K, Lewis V, et al. OPTIMISE: a pragmatic stepped wedge cluster randomised trial of an intervention to improve primary care for refugees in Australia. Med J Aust 2021; 215: 420–426.
- 5. Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia. If we don’t count it… it doesn’t count! Towards consistent national data collection and reporting on cultural, ethnic and linguistic diversity. Updated Oct 2020. https://fecca.org.au/if-we-dont-count-it-it-doesnt-count (viewed July 2021).
- 6. Chaves NJ, Paxton G, Biggs BA, et al; on behalf of the Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases and Refugee Health Network of Australia guidelines writing group. Recommendations for comprehensive post‐arrival health assessment for people from refugee‐like backgrounds. Second edition. 2016. https://www.asid.net.au/documents/item/1225 (viewed July 2021).
- 7. Foundation House. Australian refugee health practice guide. Melbourne: Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture, 2018. http://refugeehealthguide.org.au/refugee-health-assessment (viewed July 2021).
- 8. Paxton GA, Kay MP, Correa‐Velez I. Lost and found: improving ascertainment of refugee‐background Australians in population datasets [letter]. Med J Aust 2012; 197: 552–553. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2012/197/10/lost-and-found-improving-ascertainment-refugee-background-australians
- 9. Juergens CP, French JK, Brieger DB. English as a second language and outcomes of patients presenting with acute coronary syndromes: results from the CONCORDANCE registry. Med J Aust 2016; 205: 140. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2016/204/6/english-second-language-and-outcomes-patients-presenting-acute-coronary
- 10. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Cultural diversity in Australia, 2016 (2071.0. Census of population and housing: reflecting Australia. Stories from the census, 2016). 28 June 2017. https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/2071.0~2016~Main%20Features~Cultural%20Diversity%20Article~60 (viewed June 2021).
- 11. Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. Registration form for new patients. https://www.racgp.org.au/FSDEDEV/media/documents/Publications/Sample-New-Patient-Registration.pdf (viewed July 2021).
- 12. Taylor MJ, McNicholas C, Nicolay C, et al. Systematic review of the application of the plan‐do‐study‐act method to improve quality in healthcare. BMJ Qual Saf 2014; 23: 290–298.
No relevant disclosures.