Nurse-led clinics crack code for serving immigrant patients
A Swedish study found that walk-in centers staffed by nurses and equipped with interpreters successfully attract both migrants and native-born patients seeking primary care. The model suggests healthcare systems can reduce access barriers and improve equity by bypassing traditional phone-consultation bottlenecks—a finding with implications for healthcare delivery across immigrant-dense cities worldwide.
Originaltitel: Who seeks care and for what reasons at a nurse-led walk-in center in an immigrant-dense area: A quantitative survey
<p><strong>Objective</strong></p><p>To describe who seeks care and for what reasons at a nurse-led primary healthcare walk-in center in an immigrant-dense area. Studies evaluating the use of nurse-led walk-in centers in primary healthcare, emphasizing migrants, are limited. Due to language difficulties and a healthcare system based on telephone consultations, access to care is limited/problematic for the care seeker and the healthcare provider. The center aims to provide migrants and Swedish-born persons equal access to primary healthcare. Care was integrated into a healthcare center with a multi-professional environment, offering Arabic and Somali interpreters.</p><p><strong>Design</strong></p><p>Cross-sectional descriptive registry study.</p><p><strong>Sample</strong></p><p>All consecutive patients visiting during 1-month.</p><p><strong>Results</strong></p><p>Most individuals (70%) seeking care at the nurse-led walk-in center were non-European migrants from Syria, Iraq and Somalia, but Swedish-born persons (30%) also consulted the clinic. Women, middle-aged, and lower-educated patients dominated. Reasons for seeking care included different kinds of pain, ear/nose/throat issues, and skin problems. Migrants prioritized non-specific pain and dizziness/headaches, while Swedes sought help primarily for upper respiratory tract infections. About 25% of the migrants needed interpreters, mostly females.</p><p><strong>Conclusion</strong></p><p>The nurse-led walk-in center provides accessible care in a multi-professional team, if needed, serving migrants and Swedish-born persons, promoting equal healthcare for all.</p>