Primary health care experiences of Indian immigrants living with chronic illnesses in Australia: a qualitative study

To explore the primary health care experiences of Indian immigrants living with chronic illnesses in Australia.

Primary health care is integral for managing health issues for people living with chronic illnesses. Despite Indian migrants being the largest overseas-born population in Australia to use primary health care services for their chronic illnesses, at this time, limited literature reports on their experiences in Australia.

A qualitative exploratory approach was adopted for this study. Through purposive sampling, 11 participants were recruited, and data was collected using semi-structured interviews. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed.

Three themes and six sub-themes emerged from the thematic analysis. The first theme 'being a mix of experiences' presented participants' positive and negative experiences related to communication, compassion, quality of care and length of consultations. The second theme 'facilitators to accessing primary health care services in Australia' described the benefits of telehealth and having a common cultural background as that of the general practitioner. Meanwhile, the third theme 'barriers to accessing primary health care services in Australia' identified unavailability of preferred GPs and waiting times and delays for in-person appointments as barriers that hindered access to PHC services in Australia.

Primary health care experiences of Indian immigrants with chronic illnesses in Australia were a mix of positive and negative experiences, similar to that of other immigrants. Faster accessibility and compassionate services among migrants were highlighted to be needing extra attention by way of further research and acknowledging the unique diversity of individuals.