Health care for immigrants in Europe: Is there still consensus among country experts about principles of good practice? A Delphi study
2011

Health Care for Immigrants in Europe: Expert Consensus on Good Practices

Sample size: 134 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Devillé Walter, Greacen Tim, Bogic Marija, Dauvrin Marie, Dias Sónia, Gaddini Andrea, Jensen Natasja Koitzsch, Karamanidou Christina, Kluge Ulrike, Mertaniemi Ritva, Riera Rosa Puigpinós, Sárváry Attila, Soares Joaquim JF, Stankunas Mindaugas, Straßmayr Christa, Welbel Marta, Priebe Stefan

Primary Institution: NIVEL (Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research)

Hypothesis

What constitutes good practice in health care for immigrants across different European countries?

Conclusion

Experts across Europe asserted the right to culturally sensitive health care for all immigrants, with a broad consensus on major principles of good practice, despite some disagreements.

Supporting Evidence

  • Experts identified 186 high scoring factors across all countries.
  • Nine thematic categories were established for good practice in health care for immigrants.
  • Accessibility to health care was prioritized by all participating countries.

Takeaway

This study asked health care experts from 16 European countries what makes health care good for immigrants, and they mostly agreed on the important things to do, like being respectful and providing equal access.

Methodology

A three-round Delphi process was conducted with 134 experts from 16 EU Member States to identify principles of good practice in health care for immigrants.

Potential Biases

Discordance among experts may have influenced the final consensus on good practice factors.

Limitations

The representativeness of the experts varied, with some countries having over-representation of certain professional backgrounds, which may affect generalizability.

Participant Demographics

Experts included professionals from academia, NGOs, policy-making, and health care practice across 16 EU countries.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1471-2458-11-699

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