Refugee Health Care: A Handbook for Health Professionals

Refugee Health Care: A Handbook for Health Professionals
Date of publication: November 2001

Refugee Health Care: A Handbook for Health Professionals, was launched by the Minister of Health on 15 November 2001 in Auckland.

The Handbook is part of this country's ongoing commitment to successful resettlement of refugees and asylum seekers.

The Handbook is the result of a nationwide consultation process with health workers and refugee groups. The consultations identified the need for a resource for health workers to assist them in providing safe, accessible, culturally appropriate care to refugee and asylum seeker clients.

The Refugee Health Care Handbook has been developed for general practitioners and other health workers who care for refugee people. The book not only provides insights into the cultural and ethnic backgrounds of the main refugee groups in New Zealand but also provides guidance to health professionals on conducting culturally sensitive consultations and effective use of interpreters.

In addition there is information and advice on physical and mental health issues common to refugee people, including conditions which may be unfamiliar to New Zealand practitioners. The book concludes with a contact list of referral and support agencies.

Contributors to the handbook include the New Zealand Immigration Service, New Zealand College of General Practitioners, New Zealand College of Midwives, New Zealand Nurses Organisation, Plunket, the Auckland, Canterbury, and Hutt Valley District Health Boards and a number of other agencies or individuals working with people from refugee backgrounds. Significant input has come from refugee groups themselves.

Document availability

This publication is available in hard copy. To order a copy email moh@wickliffe.co.nz or call 04 496 2277 and quote HP 3480. Please let us know your name, your physical address and how many copies you would like.

This publication is available below in PDF format. Because it is a large document it has been split into a series of PDFs.

Contents

Foreword
(82 kB)

Acknowledgements
(41 kB)

Section 1: Refugees – Who They Are and Where They Come From

(452 kB)

Who is a refugee?
The experience of refugee women
Cultural backgrounds:
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Somalia
Sudan
Iran
Iraq
Afghanistan
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Kosovo
Burma

Section 2: Refugee Resettlement in New Zealand

(295 kB)

Refugee resettlement and support
Mangere Refugee Resettlement Centre
Benefit and support entitlements
Refugees and public health screening
Health screening and quota refugees
Health screening and family reunification refugees
Health screening and asylum seekers

Section 3: The Consultation – Communicating Effectively with Refugee Clients

(425 kB)

Preparing for the consultation
Engaging a professional interpreter
Enhancing communication and rapport

Section 4: Physical Health Care

(2203 kB)

Medical history and examination
Common health issues in refugee people
Body modification
Circumcision (male)
Complementary therapies
Dental disease
Failure to thrive in children under two years
Hepatitis B
HIV infection
Immunisation
Infectious and parasitic diseases
Medication
Nutrition and diet
Rape and sexual assault
Referrals
Tuberculosis (TB)

Section 5: Mental Health Issues

(610 kB)

Torture and trauma experiences
How trauma experiences may affect the consultation
Managing a disclosure
Counselling and the refugee client
Mental health issues in children and young people
Common mental health conditions
Anxiety and depression
Eating disorders
Grief and loss
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Psychosomatic disorders
Substance abuse

Section 6: Refugees with Special Health Needs

(569 kB)

Women
Antenatal
Breast and cervical screening
Childbirth beliefs and practices
Family planning
Family violence
Female genital mutilation (FGM)
Asylum seekers
Muslims
Contact List
Additional Information
Health education resources
Endnotes

Tables

Table 1: Differences between refugees and migrants

(93 kB)

Table 2: Summary of religious, linguistic and ethnic/clan groups – Horn of Africa

(185 kB)

Table 3: Key health indicators – Horn of Africa

(55 kB)

Table 4: Summary of religious, linguistic and ethnic groups – Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan

(61 kB)

Table 5: Key health indicators – Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan

(50 kB)

Table 6: Disparities in health and social service provision between quota refugees and asylum seekers

(159 kB)

Table 7: Issues to consider in history taking and medical examination

(230 kB)

Table 8: Specific health issues for refugees from different regions

(77 kB)

Table 9: Immunisation in refugee children

(100 kB)

Table 10: Immunisation in refugee adults

(80 kB)

Table 11: Infectious and parasitic diseases

(186 kB)

Table 12: Infectious and parasitic diseases – Horn of Africa

(86 kB)

Table 13: Infectious and parasitic diseases – Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan

(67 kB)

Table 14: Notes on unfamiliar infectious and parasitic diseases

(1211 kB)

Table 15: Female genital mutilation in the Horn of Africa

(49 kB)

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