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Experiences of healthcare and administrative staff working with asylum seekers in the current polycrisis context: a
Léa Grosjean1, Yann Sancosme2, Kevin Morisod2
1Department of Vulnerabilities and Social Medicine, Center for Primary Care and Public Health, Chair of Medicine for Vulnerable Populations, University of Lausanne, Unisanté, Rue de la Corniche 10, Lausanne, 1011, Switzerland. lea.grosjean@unil.ch.
Background:
Healthcare and administrative staff working with asylum seekers are at risk of burnout, compassion fatigue and vicarious traumatization. Moreover, they face a series of crises, with the refugee crisis in 2015-2016, the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and climate change, complexifying their daily practice and increasing the number of asylum seekers. Despite this alarming context, scarce research has explored the personal experiences of healthcare and administrative staff working with asylum seekers. In response, this qualitative study aimed to explore their work-related experiences, resources and needs in the current polycrisis context in Switzerland.
Methods:
Participants (N = 24) were part of the front-line care team working with asylum seekers in the Canton of Vaud (Switzerland). The sample included nurses, administrative staff, physicians and psychologists. They participated in semi-structured interviews exploring the personal experiences of their work, difficulties and challenges encountered and their resources and needs. Inductive content analysis was used to organize data and identify themes.
Results:
Main findings highlighted a significant emotional burden for staff related to their patients' migratory journey and experiences in the asylum system. Next, participants expressed various challenges associated with their work, such as heavy workload, lack of partners in the healthcare network, communication barriers and the polycrisis context. Further, findings documented that participants' strong intrinsic motivation and personal and institutional resources support them in overcoming these difficulties. Finally, participants made some suggestions for the improvement of their working environment, including promotion of exchange between colleagues, collaboration with partners and hiring additional staff.
Conclusions:
Healthcare and administrative staff working with asylum seekers are exposed to multiple challenges and emotional difficulties linked to their patients' experiences. Findings suggest the need to address the well-being of this population by developing measures to enhance support for them at individual and structural levels, particularly within the current polycrisis context.
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