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Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
Published in: Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health 2/2018

01-04-2018 | Original Paper

Factors Associated with Refugee Acute Healthcare Utilization in Southern Connecticut

Authors: Wagahta Semere, Pooja Agrawal, Katherine Yun, Isha Di Bartolo, Aniyizhai Annamalai, Joseph S. Ross

Published in: Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health | Issue 2/2018

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Abstract

Our objective was to examine refugees’ acute care use early in resettlement. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of acute care use, emergency room and hospital visits, by adult refugees arriving in Southern Connecticut between 2/1/2013 and 2/1/2015. We examined associations between any acute care use and collected demographic as well as health characteristics. Of the 248 refugees in our sample, 57% had a medical evaluation within 30 days of arrival. 102 (41%) had at least one acute care visit within 8 months of arrival. Male sex (OR 1.90, 95% CI 1.09–3.30) and prior history of hypertension (OR 2.87, 95% CI 1.06–7.33) were associated with greater likelihood of an acute care visit within 8 months of arrival, while having a medical evaluation within 30 days of arrival was associated with lower likelihood (OR 0.56, 95% CI 0.32–0.98). Designing systems to ensure timely evaluations of newly arrived refugees may reduce frequent acute care utilization.
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Metadata
Title
Factors Associated with Refugee Acute Healthcare Utilization in Southern Connecticut
Authors
Wagahta Semere
Pooja Agrawal
Katherine Yun
Isha Di Bartolo
Aniyizhai Annamalai
Joseph S. Ross
Publication date
01-04-2018
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health / Issue 2/2018
Print ISSN: 1557-1912
Electronic ISSN: 1557-1920
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-017-0574-8

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