| dc.description.abstract | Abstract
Master Thesis in Medicine.
Health care professionals’ perception of Act (2013:407) – the new health care services law for undocumented migrants. Louise Hansen, Vania Ranjbar, Henry Ascher, University of Gothenburg, Sweden 2016.
Introduction: In July 2013 a new law was adopted in Sweden, Lag (2013:407) om hälso- och sjukvård till vissa utlänningar som vistas i Sverige utan nödvändiga tillstånd (or The Act), which states that undocumented migrants have the same right to health care services and dental care as asylum seekers. One of the most important measures to take, in order to ensure that these individuals receive the health care they are legally entitled to, is to make sure that health care professionals are well aware of the law. The aim of the study was to investigate how health care professionals in Sweden perceive The Act and the application thereof. We also wanted to investigate if there were any differences between various professions, area of work (type of unit), and between those reporting having dealt with undocumented migrants compared to those who had not.
Methods: A primarily quantitative web-based questionnaire was developed and used for this study. Our sample group consisted of health care professionals working in adult clinics in the Region Västra Götaland (VGR). Data were collected between November 2015 and January 2016. Multiple logistic regressions were used to analyze possible associations between independent variables, such as knowledge of The Act, and dependent variables, such as profession and type of unit. The same analytic method was used to find out if there were any differences between subgroups within the independent variables in relation to dependent variables.
Results: Our findings show that less than half of the participants knew The Act well, and that the demand for further education regarding this law is high, regardless of profession, area of work (type of unit) or if the participants had dealt with undocumented migrants or not in their work. The findings also show that participants who had been informed about The Act were significantly more likely to report to know The Act well, agree on that The Act had led to changes in how they perform their work and to be confident regarding guidelines at their workplace on undocumented migrants, compared to those who had not been informed about The Act. Furthermore, nurses were less likely to report to know The Act well and to have been informed about The Act, compared with other professions.
Conclusions: Four out of five of health care professionals in our study expressed a need for further education regarding The Act. Nurses, who in many health care units also work as front desk staff, lacked information and good knowledge of The Act to a larger extent, compared to other professions. This indicates a potential threat against patient security since this professional group is the first point to access treatment for undocumented migrants, as well as for other patient groups. One conclusion of the study is that the information and training about The Act has been insufficient. In order to ensure that the lawful right to care for this vulnerable group of undocumented migrants is provided, and to support health care professionals in their work, we suggest more efficient information from the region to the health care professionals as well as clear local guidelines. | sv |
