Barriers and Facilitators to Refugee Access to Primary Healthcare

Refugees face significant challenges to optimal healthcare, especially accessing primary care, when they come to the United States. The researchers performed an in-depth literature review including quantitative and qualitative empirical studies, current guidelines from government agencies and existing systematic literature reviews. A literature search was conducted with the search terms primary care, access to primary healthcare, primary healthcare paired with refugee, asylum seekers, or migrant. Personal discussions with local refugee healthcare workers provided insight into local needs. The researchers concluded that while there are protocols for the treatment of refugees there are real-world gaps that prevent seamless care. To aid in bridging these gaps we created Caring for our Refugees: A Quick Guide for Healthcare Providers Working with Refugees for dissemination among the health care providers of the community.