Cultural obstacles like the stigma associated with mental health or conventional healing methods may impede refugees from seeking help or adhering to treatment regimens. It is imperative to address these cultural aspects to improve the healthcare experiences of refugees in the US and ensure they receive culturally appropriate care. (Feinberg et al., 2020). Communication barriers can negatively impact healthcare, especially among LEP refugees. A significant proportion of refugees coming into the US are LEP, and language barriers are a major impediment to healthcare access (Feinberg et al., 2020).
Language proficiency, or lack thereof, affects health literacy because patients are less likely to follow physician directives if they need help understanding the provided procedures (Feinberg et al., 2020). LEP refugees often experience communication barriers, difficulty understanding medical information, and limited access to healthcare services, which may lead to poor health outcomes (Feinberg et al., 2020). LEP and health literacy are crucial factors that affect refugees’ ability to live healthy lives when they are seeking or receiving care.
Trends in Care-Seeking Behavior
Several variables may impact the trends in care-seeking behavior among US refugees. Some US refugees might receive treatment from local traditional healers or religious authorities. Others could rely on neighborhood clinics that offer medical treatment that is acceptable to their culture (Landor & Barr, 2018). Due to a variety of factors, including restricted access to primary care doctors, a lack of health insurance, language challenges, and the assumption that EDs offer quicker and more thorough care, many refugees opt to seek treatment in emergency departments (EDs) (Omenka et al., 2020).
The US healthcare system’s complexity may affect migrants on both a personal and economic level. For example, a lack of knowledge of the system may cause migrants to seek non-emergent care in emergency rooms, which can be expensive and tax the healthcare system’s resources (Matlin et al., 2018). Furthermore, refugees may put off seeking care because they need clarification about the healthcare system, which might aggravate their health concerns and eventually result in higher healthcare expenses (Matlin et al., 2018).
Personal Challenges in Navigating Healthcare
Individually, migrants may find it difficult and stressful to navigate the healthcare system for several reasons. Accessing care may be challenging due to language problems, cultural differences, and a lack of system knowledge, which can cause irritation, worry, and loneliness (Landor & Barr, 2018). Lack of faith in healthcare professionals and the healthcare system may also result from its complexity, making it harder for refugees to get timely, high-quality care. (Omenka et al., 2020).
Refugees who live in the US may also exhibit harmful health behaviors, including delaying medical attention and visiting emergency rooms for non-emergent ailments (Matlin et al., 2018). These actions may hurt the health of refugees, resulting in higher rates of illness and death, higher healthcare expenses, and an increased burden on the resources available to the healthcare system (Chapman & Huffman, 2018).
References
Chapman, C. A., & Huffman, M. A. (2018). Why do we want to think humans are different? Animal Sentience, 3(23). Web.
Feinberg, I., O’Connor, M. H., Owen-Smith, A., Ogrodnick, M. M., & Rothenberg, R. (2020). The relationship between refugee health status and language, literacy, and time spent in the United States. Health Literacy Research and Practice, 4(4), e230–e236. Web.
Landor, A., & Barr, A. (2018). Politics of respectability, colorism, and the terms of social exchange in family research: Respectability, colorism, and social exchange. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 10(2), 330–347. Web.
Matlin, S. A., Depoux, A., Schütte, S., Flahault, A., & Saso, L. (2018). Migrants’ and refugees’ health: towards an agenda of solutions. Public Health Reviews, 39(1). Web.
Omenka, O. I., Watson, D. P., & Hendrie, H. C. (2020). Understanding the healthcare experiences and needs of African immigrants in the United States: a scoping review. BMC Public Health, 20(1), 27. Web.