Towards System Changes: Experiences of General Practitioners and Nurses in Facilitating Appointments and Referrals...

This study explored the experiences of general practitioners (GPs) and nurses working in specialised refugee health services when facilitating specialist hospital appointments and referrals for Africans from refugee backgrounds in Australia.

An exploratory-descriptive, qualitative study was conducted. Purposive sampling was used to recruit 12 GPs and nurses across three states: New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and recorded via Zoom. Reflexive thematic analysis was undertaken to generate themes. This manuscript is based on the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ).

This study revealed two analytical constructs. The first construct explains the various challenges that GPs and nurses working in specialised refugee health services face in facilitating referrals and appointments for their patients including: (a) assumptions in communication; (b) use of abbreviations in appointment reminders; (c) navigating cultural and religious sensitivities in appointments; (d) difficulty getting clinicians to use interpreters; and (e) silos working. Nevertheless, the second construct explains that the providers in this study remained passionate and committed to helping refugees access the care they need.

It is essential that primary healthcare professionals in specialised refugee services feel supported, encouraged and empowered to enable access to appropriate specialist hospital services by refugees, thereby preventing unwanted health outcomes. SO WHAT?: This study reveals the needed changes to inform equity-based policies and system level interventions that promote timely access to specialist services for refugees to improve health outcomes.