O3212: Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Health Care Professionals in Caring for Immigrant Patients

Purpose/Objectives: Immigrants face numerous barriers to accessing health care and maintaining good health, but limited research exists about health care professionals’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices in caring for them.

Design/Methods: The Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Immigrant Health (CIH) seeks to foster excellence in clinical care, education, advocacy and research to improve the health and wellbeing of immigrants. In December 2021, CIH disseminated an anonymous survey across sites and role groups at Mass General Brigham (MGB) to better understand staff’s proficiency and comfort in caring for immigrant patients.

Results: The survey garnered 206 responses from clinical and non-clinical role groups in inpatient and ambulatory care settings across 10 MGB institutions. Responses revealed generally positive attitudes about immigrants and support for their right to access high quality healthcare. Most staff expressed confidence in their knowledge about health disparities and barriers to care for immigrant patients, and in their ability to access and utilize interpreters. However, responses revealed confusion about which health and nutrition benefits immigrant patients can access. One third of respondents were unaware that undocumented immigrants can access health insurance in Massachusetts, and one quarter were unaware they can access care within the MGB system. Three quarters were unaware that undocumented immigrants cannot access food stamps. Thirty percent of physicians and advanced practice providers expressed unfamiliarity with the health screenings recommended for newly arrived immigrants. More than half of all respondents reported having never received any training about immigrant health before, with a high level of interest expressed in receiving additional training.

Conclusion/Discussion: Results suggest that even in a setting where healthcare staff express support for and confidence in caring for immigrant patients, promoting health equity and care access for immigrants requires a commitment to ongoing education.