Use of the emergency department by refugees under the Interim Federal Health Program: A health records review.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

In June 2012, the federal government made cuts to the Interim Federal Health (IFH) Program that reduced or eliminated health insurance for refugee claimants in Canada. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the cuts on emergency department (ED) use among patients claiming IFH benefits.

Methods

We conducted a health records review at two tertiary care EDs in Ottawa. We reviewed all ED visits where an IFH claim was made at triage, for 18 months before and 18 months after the changes to the program on June 30, 2012 (2011-2013). Claims made before and after the cuts were compared in terms of basic demographics, chief presenting complaints, acuity, diagnosis, presence of primary care, and financial status of the claim. Bivariate or multivariate logist

SUBMITTER: Bakewell F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5945039 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature