Healthcare Providers’ Cultural Competence from the Perspective of Newly Arrived Refugees and Asylum Seekers: A Qualitative Study in Greece

Abstract

Cultural competence (CC) in the refugee context remains under-addressed in the literature. This study explores the perceptions of asylum seekers and refugees (N = 25) concerning the CC of healthcare providers. This study was conducted in 2019, on the island of Lesvos in Greece. A major finding is that, for the participants, CC means the provision of equal and human treatment and not the knowledge of culture-specific information from healthcare providers. Moreover, our findings highlight the necessity of rethinking CC in the refugee context and integrating relevant components to enhance the provision of equal treatment and ultimately end perceived or existing discrimination.

Keywords:

• Refugees
• asylum seekers
• cultural competence
• healthcare providers
• qualitative study

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Antonis Zeimpekis (Head Welfare Office) and the rest of the staff of Iliaktida AMKE, who supported the recruitment procedures of the sample and the interpreters who facilitated the interviews. We would also like to express our gratitude to Christine Dimitrakaki (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece), who provided insights and expertise that greatly assisted the research. We thank all the participants that took part in and contributed to the study’s accomplishment.