Grant: Master's Award: Canada Graduate Research Scholarships - Master's program

Canada is welcoming a growing number of refugees, but many face barriers when seeking primary care. As a result, many refugees use emergency departments (EDs) to address health concerns that would be more appropriately managed in a primary care setting. This contributes to the overcrowding in EDs, where many visits are for non-urgent issues. Community health centres (CHCs) are designed to provide care to marginalized populations, but it is unclear how CHC affiliation influences refugees’ use of ED services The proposed study will focus on refugees' experiences receiving care at EDs in Toronto and the factors that influence their decision to visit the ED. The participants will include refugees living in Scarborough and North York, with those recruited from North York being affiliated with a CHC. The study aims to understand: 1) what social, economic, cultural, and health factors influence refugees’ decisions before they seek care at an ED; 2) how refugee experiences during and after an ED visit differ for those with and without access to a local CHC; and 3) how can the accessibility of emergency medical care be improved for refugees in Toronto. Interviews will be conducted in person, by phone, or online, depending on the participants’ preferences. The transcripts of the interviews will be analyzed to identify common themes that arise across the interviews. The findings of the study will help healthcare providers better understand refugees' experiences at EDs and will guide future research and strategies to improve emergency care access for refugees in Toronto.