Migrant population’s opinion on the healthcare team regarding patient care in two local outpatient clinics in Montevideo

Abstract

This research aims to identify the opinion of the migrant population regarding patient care that eases their access to Public Healthcare Services. The target population is international migrants who attend two local outpatient clinics in Montevideo, Uruguay. The research is quantitative, descriptive and cross-sectional. Data collection was carried out through a survey, applied to 38 migrant users who were over 18 years old, with a minimum of three consultations carried out at the selected outpatient clinics. The socio-demographic profile showed a predominance of the age range between 28 and 38 years old (47.4%), the female gender (68.4%), countries from Latin America and the Caribbean (98.4%) and a higher education level (63.8%). Regarding patient care, 92.1% of respondents reported feeling the attention was suitable at the outpatient clinics and 100% stated they desired to continue attending. The most helpful types of patient care regarding access improvements were those related to communication (97.4%) and the quality of advisory services (89.5%). Cultural care - defined as the Healthcare Team's interest in the patient’s culture and beliefs- proved to be the least prevalent with 41.2% and 62.5% negative responses, respectively.