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Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
Published in: Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health 3/2016

01-06-2016 | Review Paper

A Scoping Review of Immigrant Experience of Health Care Access Barriers in Canada

Authors: Angela Kalich, Lyn Heinemann, Setareh Ghahari

Published in: Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health | Issue 3/2016

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Abstract

Canadian population-based surveys report comparable access to health care services between immigrant and non-immigrant populations, yet other research reports immigrant-specific access barriers. A scoping review was conducted to explore research regarding Canadian immigrants’ unique experiences in accessing health care, and was guided by the research question: “What is currently known about the barriers that adult immigrants face when accessing Canadian health care services?” The findings of this study suggest that there are unmet health care access needs specific to immigrants to Canada. In reviewing research of immigrants’ health care experiences, the most common access barriers were found to be language barriers, barriers to information, and cultural differences. These findings, in addition to low cultural competency reported by interviewed health care workers in the reviewed articles, indicate inequities in access to Canadian health care services for immigrant populations. Suggestions for future research and programming are discussed.
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Metadata
Title
A Scoping Review of Immigrant Experience of Health Care Access Barriers in Canada
Authors
Angela Kalich
Lyn Heinemann
Setareh Ghahari
Publication date
01-06-2016
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health / Issue 3/2016
Print ISSN: 1557-1912
Electronic ISSN: 1557-1920
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-015-0237-6

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