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Influence of the social determinants of health on access to healthcare services among refugees in Australia

Version 2 2024-06-03, 23:08
Version 1 2018-07-09, 11:33
journal contribution
posted on 2024-06-03, 23:08 authored by J Taylor, Greer Lamaro Haintz
Refugees in Australia are not fully utilising the healthcare system for several reasons and this may be affecting their overall health outcomes. This qualitative systematic review examined the influence of the social determinants of health on refugees’ access to healthcare services in Australia. Electronic databases were searched using terms relating to refugees, social determinants, healthcare services, barriers, enablers and Australia. Only peer-reviewed studies published in English since 2006, which focused on refugees and specifically discussed social determinants influencing refugees’ access to healthcare services in Australia, were included. The studies were critically analysed using standard Critical Appraisal Skills Programme Tools. Eight studies were included in the review. Findings reveal multiple factors influence refugees’ access to healthcare in Australia, and these can be conceptualised within a social-ecological model of health; that is, they operate across individual, interpersonal, environmental, organisational and policy levels. The novel finding of this review was the re-occurrence of similar influences across multiple healthcare service settings in Australia. The prevalence and re-occurring nature of the social determinants of health suggests that refugees are experiencing multilayered barriers to accessing Australian healthcare. All levels of a social-ecological model must be addressed in any attempt to break down these barriers.

History

Journal

Australian Journal of Primary Health

Volume

24

Pagination

14-28

Location

Australia

ISSN

1448-7527

eISSN

1836-7399

Language

English

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2018, La Trobe University

Issue

1

Publisher

CSIRO PUBLISHING