[Migrants' motives and expectations for contacting out-of-hours primary care]

Migrants relatively often use out-of-hours primary care. The objective of this study is to examine the motives and expectations of migrants for contacting out-of-hours primary care.

We used data from a survey study of 11,483 patients who contacted a General Practitioner (GP) cooperative in the Netherlands between 2009 and 2014 (response rate 45.6%). Logistic regression analysis was used to test differences in motives and expectations between non-western and western migrants and native Dutch patients.

The most frequently mentioned motives and expectation of migrants to contact out-of-hours primary care were similar to Dutch patients. The main motives for respectively non-western and western migrants were an urgent need for a GP (54.9%/52.4%), worry (49.3%/43.0%), and a need for medical information (21.3%/26.2%). Compared to natives, non-western migrants more often perceived an urgent need for a GP (OR 1.65), less often needed information (OR 0.59), and like western migrants, more often experienced problems contacting their own GP during office hours (OR 1.71(non-western/1.38(western)). Most non-western and western migrants expected to see a doctor (46.2%/46.6%) or get advice (39.6%/41.5%). Non-western migrants expected more often to get physical examinations (OR 1.53), and prescriptions (OR 1.37).

The main motives and expectations of migrants are similar to native Dutch patients, yet non-western migrants more often want action from the GP (e.g. examinations or prescriptions). At the same time, migrants experience problems accessing their own GP. We recommend education about the purpose of a GP cooperative, and examination and improvement of accessibility of daytime primary care.