Authors

Consuelo Cruz-Riveros1, Gustavo Macaya-Aguirre2, Alfonso Urzúa3, Báltica Cabieses4

Position

1Doctoranda en Psicología. Universidad Católica del Norte, sede Antofagasta. Académica de la Escuela de Enfermería. Universidad Santo Tomás, sede Concepción (Chile)2Doctorando en Sociología. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales. Universidad Alberto Hurtado. Santiago de Chile (Chile)3Doctor en Psicología. Escuela de Psicología. Universidad Católica del Norte. Antofagasta (Chile) 4PhD Health Sciences. Facultad de Medicina Clínica Alemana. Universidad del Desarrollo. Santiago de Chile (Chile)

Contact address

Consuelo Cruz-Riveros. Escuela de Enfermería. Universidad Santo Tomás. Sede Concepción. Arturo Prat, 879. 4080536 Concepción, Bío Bío (Chile)

Contact email: consssu@gmail.com

Abstract

Objective: to analyse the barriers faced by international migrants when using Primary Care services in the commune of Antofagasta, Chile.
Method: a qualitative research design with an interpretative phenomenological-descriptive approach. Convenience and snowball sampling was used until the saturation point was reached. The sample was formed by 42 >18-year-old persons (civil servants and migrants). Semi-structured individual and group interviews were conducted. Reflexive-thematic analysis was used for data analysis, with open coding for subsequent category building. The quality criteria used were triangulation, confirmability and reflectivity.
Results: the dimensions identified by the health civil servants were: acceptability of the other, language, and racialization otherness. The international migrants highlighted language, discriminatory treatment, and difficulties for access associated with administrative procedures to enrol in the public health system. Moreover, barriers were detected in the daily interactions between health services and migrants, where mutual interpretations of actions played a major role.
Conclusions: the current barriers for the use of Primary Care services presented system components associated with policies and rules which in practice are associated with a second component, the individual one, which would be reflected in the daily interactions by civil servants and migrants during the process of care.

Keywords:

Primary Health Care (PHC); Barriers to access of health services; human rights; migrants; health

Versión en Español

Título:

Barreras para la utilización de servicios de Atención Primaria de Salud en Personas migrantes internacionales