1. Caring for Patients Without Documentation Status: What Motivates Us and Sustains Us
- Author
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Dahlia A. Kaki, Anjali Dutt, and Riham M. Alwan
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,Epidemiology ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Health Personnel ,Immigration ,8.1 Organisation and delivery of services ,Organizational culture ,Documentation ,Clinical Research ,Provider motivations ,medicine ,Humans ,Provider well-being ,Sociology ,Provider resilience ,Qualitative Research ,media_common ,Undocumented immigrant health ,business.industry ,Public health ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Health Services ,Public relations ,Emigration and Immigration ,Private sector ,Solidarity ,Workflow ,Public Health and Health Services ,Generic health relevance ,Public Health ,Patient Care ,Thematic analysis ,business ,Health and social care services research - Abstract
Restrictive policies and limited resources create challenges for care delivery for patients without documentation status (PWDS). This study explores the motivators and sustainers for healthcare providers serving PWDS. Twenty-four direct providers in public and private sectors were interviewed using semi-structured, in-depth interviews. Two members of the research team independently coded interviews using inductive thematic analysis. Four major themes emerged illustrating intrinsic and extrinsic sources that motivated and sustained providers: (1) a sense of calling to serve their community; (2) solidarity is sustaining; (3) organizational culture as a key element for provider engagement; (4) insight into necessary change. Providers who care for PWDS are driven and sustained by internal motivations and a sense of solidarity in working towards better care access for their marginalized patients. Findings illustrate the importance of recruiting and retaining providers with histories of recent migration. Immigration and healthcare policy reform may improve provider workflow.
- Published
- 2021