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Migrant-friendly hospitals: a paediatric perspective--improving hospital care for migrant children
Fabienne N Jaeger1, Ligia Kiss, Mazeda Hossain
1London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), Keppel street, London WC1E 7HT, UK. fabienne.jaeger@unibas.ch.
Insights
Paediatric migrant-friendly hospital (P-MFH) care needs require systematic identification and tailored approaches. Enhancing hospital services with adequate staff support and migrant involvement can improve care quality for all families.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Management
- Pediatric Care
- Migrant Health
Background:
- The European Union (EU) Migrant-Friendly Hospital (MFH) Initiative promotes tailored care for migrants.
- Specific recommendations for paediatric migrant-friendly hospital (P-MFH) care are lacking.
- This study examines the Swiss MFH project to identify paediatric migrant care needs and service approaches.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify hospital-based care needs of paediatric migrants (PMs).
- To explore effective service approaches for P-MFH care.
- To inform the development of P-MFH standards.
Main Methods:
- Conducted semi-structured interviews with leaders from five Swiss paediatric hospitals in the MFH project.
- Performed a literature review on non-clinical service needs and responses in paediatric MFHs.
Main Results:
- Paediatric care involves complex family dynamics, facing challenges like acculturation gaps, language barriers, cultural differences, and time constraints.
- Current responses include interpretation services, translated materials, and privacy adaptations.
- A lack of clear standards for paediatric migrant-friendly hospitals (P-MFH) was identified.
Conclusions:
- International research on paediatric migrant hospital care is limited, with distinct needs compared to adults.
- Systematic identification of paediatric migrant needs is crucial for informing hospital care.
- Revising hospital processes, providing staff support (training, interpreters, time), and involving migrant groups can enhance P-MFH services for all families.
Background:
The European Union (EU) Migrant-Friendly Hospital (MFH) Initiative, introduced in 2002, promotes the adoption of care approaches adapted to meet the service needs of migrants. However, for paediatric hospitals, no specific recommendations have been offered for MFH care for children. Using the Swiss MFH project as a case study, this paper aims to identify hospital-based care needs of paediatric migrants (PMs) and good service approaches.
Methods:
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with principal project leaders of five paediatric hospitals participating in the Swiss MFH project. A review of the international literature on non-clinical hospital service needs and service responses of paediatric MFHs was conducted.
Results:
Paediatric care can be complex, usually involving both the patient and the patient's family. Key challenges include differing levels of acculturation between parents and children; language barriers; cultural differences between patient and provider; and time constraints. Current service and infrastructural responses include interpretation services for PMs and parents, translated information material, and special adaptations to ensure privacy, e.g., during breastfeeding. Clear standards for paediatric migrant-friendly hospitals (P-MFH) are lacking.
Conclusions:
International research on hospital care for migrant children is scarce. The needs of paediatric migrants and their families may differ from guidance for adults. Paediatric migrant needs should be systematically identified and used to inform paediatric hospital care approaches. Hospital processes from admission to discharge should be revised to ensure implementation of migrant-sensitive approaches suitable for children. Staff should receive adequate support, such as training, easily available interpreters and sufficient consultation time, to be able to provide migrant-friendly paediatric services. The involvement of migrant groups may be helpful. Improving the quality of care for PMs at both policy and service levels is an investment in the future that will benefit native and migrant families.
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