Caring for Refugee Patients: An Interprofessional Course in Resettlement, Medical Intake, and Culture

Refugees access health care at rates similar to US citizens. Many clinicians, however, do not feel prepared to care for them. This study evaluated whether an interprofessional presentation could improve knowledge of refugee health and cross-cultural comfort.

The session consisted of a lecture and 3 small-group sessions. Students from various health care programs attended via Zoom. Participants completed pre- and postsurveys to assess cross-cultural comfort and knowledge of refugee health.

Of 161 attendees, 63 completed the presurvey (39%) and 49 completed the postsurvey (30%). All 9 knowledge questions demonstrated statistically significant improvements, while only 1 cross-cultural question showed significant improvement.

The session improved knowledge of refugee health but not cross-cultural comfort, indicating the need for further interventions.