Increased Urgent Care Center Visits by Southeast European Migrants: A Retrospective, Controlled Trial from Switzerland.

Jolanta Klukowska-Röetzler,David Srivastava,Martin Müller,Aristomenis Exadaktylos,Osnat Keidar,Gert Krummrey,Maria Eracleous

doi:10.3390/ijerph15091857

Jolanta Klukowska-Röetzler, David Srivastava + Show 5 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15091857

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Abstract

We investigated whether immigrants from Southeast Europe (SE) and Swiss patients have different reasons for visiting the emergency department (ED). Our retrospective data analysis for the years 2013–2017 describes the pattern of ED consultations for immigrants from SE living in Switzerland (Canton Bern), in comparison with Swiss nationals, with a focus on type of referral and reason for admission. A total of 153,320 Swiss citizens and 12,852 immigrants from SE were included in the study. The mean age was 51.30 (SD = 21.13) years for the Swiss patients and 39.70 (SD = 15.87) years for the SE patients. For some countries of origin (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Turkey), there were highly statistically significant differences in sex distribution, with a predominance of males. SE immigrants had a greater proportion of patients in the lower triage level (level 3: SE: 67.3% vs. Swiss: 56.0%) and a greater proportion of patients in the high triage level than the Swiss population (level 1: SE: 3.4% vs. Swiss: 8.8%). SE patients of working age (16–65 years) were six times more often admitted by ambulance than older (≥65 years) SE patients, whereas this ratio was similar in the Swiss population. In both groups, the fast track service was primarily used for patients of working age (<65) and more than three times more often in the SE than the Swiss group (SE: 39.1%, Swiss: 12.6%). We identified some indications for access to primary care in emergency departments for immigrants and highlighted the need for attention to the role of organizational characteristics of primary health care in Switzerland. We highlighted the need for professional support to improve the quality of healthcare for immigrants. In the future, we will need more primary care services and general practitioners with a migrant background.

Highlights

Switzerland is among the countries in Europe with the highest percentage of foreigners in its permanent population [1]
A total of 12,852 immigrants from Southeast Europe (SE) were admitted to the emergency department (ED) during the five-year study period
Some consultations were excluded from the analysis because key demographic information was omitted in the patient information system (n = 931) or the patients were younger than 16 years old (SE immigrant patients: n = 96, Swiss: n = 1869)

Summary

Introduction

Switzerland is among the countries in Europe with the highest percentage of foreigners in its permanent population [1]. States, aa region region frequently frequently regarded regarded by Western countries as a heterogeneous set of countries with their own cultural specific features, by Western countries as a heterogeneous set of countries with their own cultural specific features, dynamics, and and an an interconnected interconnected and and complex complex modern modern history. There are are many many overlapping overlapping and and dynamics, conflicting definitions as to where exactly begins or ends or how it relates to other regions of the conflicting definitions as to where exactly SE begins or ends or how it relates to other regions of the continent. Bosnia and and Herzegovina, Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, and—to some some. Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, and—to extent—Greece, Hungary, and [21].

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