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Bockey AJ, Braun C, Camp J, Janda A, Kern WV, Müller AM, Stete K, Rieg SR, Lange B. Health care utilisation of asylum seekers and refugees in the South-West of Germany. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0299886. [PMID: 38635695 PMCID: PMC11025777 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0299886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Limited evidence on utilisation of health care by recently arrived asylum seekers and refugees in high-income countries is available. This study aims to describe the implementation of an integrated care facility (ICF) in an initial reception centre and measure the utilisation of care and the influence of operational parameters. METHODS In a retrospective cohort study design, using medical records, we followed inhabitants of a reception centre in Germany between 11.10.2015 and 30.05.2018. We assessed frequency of visits and revisits to a newly established integrated care facility (ICF), and the effects of the ICF on visits to the local emergency department (LED) in the regional tertiary hospital using survival analysis and time series regression. We also explore the influence of operational parameters on the different implementation phases; phase 1: provisional clinic with 1-2 hours of physician presence daily, phase 2: implementation of ICF with 2-4 hours of care by a team of doctors and nurses daily, phase 3: routine running of ICF with daily operational hours of 10am-2pm with care provided by an interdisciplinary team of doctors and nurses. RESULTS 14,419 total medical visits were recorded from 1,883 persons seeking health care in the ICF. The absolute number of visits per day remained similar over the study period (19·9/day), yet the relative number of visits changed from 2·2 to 15 per 100 inhabitants from phase 2 to 3, respectively. Most visits were due to respiratory infections (612/3080, 20%), and trauma and musculoskeletal conditions (441/3080, 14%). The rate of revisits to ICF was 2·9 per person per month (95%CI 2·9-3), more for those older, female, from North Africa and those with a translator present. The ratio of visits to the LED changed from 0·3/100 inhabitants per day to 0·14/100 inhabitants after implementation of the ICF and back to 0·3/100 inhabitants during the routine running. CONCLUSIONS Though seasonal variation and referral practices must be considered, a high rate of revisits to the ICF were recorded. While visits to the LED decreased after the implementation of the ICF, visits returned to the pre-ICF levels during the routine running of the ICF. The results show that AS&R require reliable access to health care, yet the needs of specific groups of migrants may be different, especially those with language barriers, minority groups or those from certain regions. As such, care should be migrant sensitive and adapt to the changing needs of the population. Though more research is required to better understand the differing needs of migrants, this study may help to inform guidelines surrounding migrant sensitive standards of care in Germany.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annabelle J. Bockey
- Department of Medicine II, Division of Infectious Diseases, Medical Centre—University Hospital Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, Freiburg, Germany
- PhD Programme “Epidemiology” Braunschweig-Hannover, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Cornelia Braun
- Department of Medicine II, Division of Infectious Diseases, Medical Centre—University Hospital Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, Freiburg, Germany
- Clinic for Refugee Medicine, Medical Centre–University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Johannes Camp
- Department of Medicine II, Division of Infectious Diseases, Medical Centre—University Hospital Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Aleš Janda
- Clinic for Refugee Medicine, Medical Centre–University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, Freiburg, Germany
- Centre for Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Medical Centre–University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, Freiburg, Germany
- Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, University Medical Centre Ulm, Germany
| | - Winfried V. Kern
- Department of Medicine II, Division of Infectious Diseases, Medical Centre—University Hospital Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Anne-Maria Müller
- Clinic for Refugee Medicine, Medical Centre–University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, Freiburg, Germany
- Centre for Mental Health, Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Medical Centre–University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Katarina Stete
- Department of Medicine II, Division of Infectious Diseases, Medical Centre—University Hospital Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Siegbert R. Rieg
- Department of Medicine II, Division of Infectious Diseases, Medical Centre—University Hospital Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Berit Lange
- Department of Medicine II, Division of Infectious Diseases, Medical Centre—University Hospital Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, Freiburg, Germany
- Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
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Allen R, Zimmermann N, Fink G, Först G, Kern WV, Farin-Glattacker E, Rieg SR. Intensive specialists’ consultation combined with antibiotic stewardship programmes. Eur J Public Health 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/ckab165.463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Antibiotic Stewardship Programmes (ASP) combine measures to optimise antibiotic (AB) therapies and ensure high AB prescription quality. Studies have shown that ASP in combination with an infectious disease (ID) consultation, can significantly improve the rational use of AB. This study aims to improve the quality of care and treatment of ID patients after implementing ASP activities, with or without ID consultation.
Methods
This is a study protocol of a prospective, two-arm, clustered intervention study with before-after-analyses conducted in ten hospitals (excl. university hospitals) in Germany over a period of three years. The intervention includes the implementation of ASP, with or without consultation by an ID specialist. We will gather information on ID inpatients (diagnosed with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) N = 335 and Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (SAB) N = 110) aged >18 years. We will compare patient-related outcomes (changes in SAB score as an indicator of difficult-to-treat infections, and CAP score as an indicator of common infections), as well as the quality and quantity of AB prescriptions. Secondary endpoints comprise quality and quantity of AB prescriptions as well as hospital-related and health economic outcomes. The statistical analysis includes a multilevel analysis. In addition, we will conduct a process evaluation, using interviews to analyse the process and the feasibility of the interventions.
Results
The baseline-data collection process started in April 2021. We will provide data for the broader ID and public health research communities, and publish the results in international journals to contribute to the ongoing global effort addressing AB resistance.
Conclusions
We highlight the purview, in terms of the multicentre, comprehensive interventions and the mixed-method approach.
Key messages
The study results will shed light on whether ASP+ID consultation improves AB prescription quality. We expect enhanced treatment results of ID patients in the public health sector.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Allen
- Section of Health Care Research and Rehabilitation Research, Faculty of Medicine and Medical Centre, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - N Zimmermann
- Section of Health Care Research and Rehabilitation Research, Faculty of Medicine and Medical Centre, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - G Fink
- Clinic for Internal Medicine, Medical Centre-University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - G Först
- Clinic for Internal Medicine, Medical Centre-University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - WV Kern
- Clinic for Internal Medicine, Medical Centre-University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - E Farin-Glattacker
- Section of Health Care Research and Rehabilitation Research, Faculty of Medicine and Medical Centre, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - SR Rieg
- Clinic for Internal Medicine, Medical Centre-University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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