access to and utilisation of gp services among burmese migrants in london a cross-sectional descriptive study访问和利用全科医生服务在缅甸移民在伦敦一个横断面描述性研究.pdfVIP

Aung et al. BMC Health Services Research 2010, 10:285 /1472-6963/10/285 RESEARCH ARTICLE Open Access Access to and utilisation of GP services among Burmese migrants in London: a cross-sectional descriptive study 1,2* 3 1,2 Nyein Chan Aung , Bernd Rechel , Peter Odermatt Abstract Background: An estimated 10,000 Burmese migrants are currently living in London. No studies have been conducted on their access to health services. Furthermore, most studies on migrants in the United Kingdom (UK) have been conducted at the point of service provision, carrying the risk of selection bias. Our cross-sectional study explored access to and utilisation of General Practice (GP) services by Burmese migrants residing in London. Methods: We used a mixed-method approach: a quantitative survey using self-administered questionnaires was complemented by qualitative in-depth interviews for developing the questionnaire and triangulating the findings of the survey. Overall, 137 questionnaires were received (a response rate of 57%) and 11 in-depth interviews conducted. The main outcome variables of the study included GP registration, barriers towards registration, GP consultations, barriers towards consultations, and knowledge on entitlements to health care. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, association tests, and a multivariate analysis using logistic regression. The qualitative information was analysed using content analysis. Results: The respondents were young, of roughly equal gender (51.5% female), well educated, and had a fair level of knowledge on health services in the UK. Although the GP registration rate was relatively high (80%, 109 out of 136), GP service utilisation during the last episode of illness, at 56.8% (54 out of 95), was low.