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The health needs and access barriers among refugees and asylum-seekers in Malaysia: a qualitative study

Overview of attention for article published in International Journal for Equity in Health, August 2018
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  • In the top 25% of all research outputs scored by Altmetric
  • High Attention Score compared to outputs of the same age (88th percentile)
  • Good Attention Score compared to outputs of the same age and source (70th percentile)

Mentioned by

blogs
2 blogs
policy
1 policy source
twitter
7 X users

Citations

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85 Dimensions

Readers on

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380 Mendeley
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Title
The health needs and access barriers among refugees and asylum-seekers in Malaysia: a qualitative study
Published in
International Journal for Equity in Health, August 2018
DOI 10.1186/s12939-018-0833-x
Pubmed ID
Authors

Fiona Leh Hoon Chuah, Sok Teng Tan, Jason Yeo, Helena Legido-Quigley

Abstract

In Malaysia, refugees and asylum-seekers are a vulnerable group that often face circumstances in which their health and wellbeing can be compromised. This qualitative study sought to examine the key health concerns and barriers to healthcare access among refugees and asylum-seekers in Malaysia through the lens of healthcare professionals, program staff and experts on refugee and migrant health. We conducted 20 semi-structured in-depth interviews with experts, healthcare professionals, program managers or executives from UN agencies, public healthcare facilities, civil society organizations, and academic institutions in Malaysia. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed both deductively and inductively using thematic analysis. Participant narratives highlight that the health needs of refugees and asylum-seekers in Malaysia are complex. As reported, access to healthcare is underpinned by numerous social, cultural and economic determinants compounded by a legal environment that lacks inclusivity of refugees and asylum-seekers. Apart from the health risks associated with the migration process, limited access to comprehensive healthcare post-arrival remain a problem for refugees and asylum-seekers in Malaysia. Key barriers to healthcare access are linked to poor health literacy and the lack of awareness on one's right to healthcare; language and cultural differences; protection issues resulting from a lack of legal status; and an inability to afford healthcare due to inadequate livelihoods. Overall, poor access to healthcare is perceived to have detrimental consequences on the health status of refugees, asylum-seekers and its host population, and may incur greater costs to the health system in the long run. Comprehensive efforts in practice and research that tackle the social, cultural and economic determinants of health, and more inclusive health policies are crucial in strengthening healthcare access among refugees and asylum-seekers in Malaysia. Practical recommendations include improving the health literacy of refugees and asylum-seekers for better navigation of the health system; bridging language and cultural gaps through translation support and inter-cultural orientation; implementing policies grounded in the right to healthcare for all regardless of legal status and in the interest of public health; and establishing a larger evidence base to drive policy development and implementation for refugee health within the Malaysian context.

X Demographics

X Demographics

The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 7 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Mendeley readers

Mendeley readers

The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 380 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.

Geographical breakdown

Country Count As %
Unknown 380 100%

Demographic breakdown

Readers by professional status Count As %
Student > Master 74 19%
Student > Bachelor 43 11%
Student > Ph. D. Student 27 7%
Researcher 26 7%
Student > Doctoral Student 21 6%
Other 51 13%
Unknown 138 36%
Readers by discipline Count As %
Medicine and Dentistry 61 16%
Nursing and Health Professions 54 14%
Social Sciences 43 11%
Psychology 15 4%
Arts and Humanities 14 4%
Other 45 12%
Unknown 148 39%
Attention Score in Context

Attention Score in Context

This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 19. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 16 June 2021.
All research outputs
#1,931,485
of 25,292,646 outputs
Outputs from International Journal for Equity in Health
#300
of 2,200 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#38,388
of 336,748 outputs
Outputs of similar age from International Journal for Equity in Health
#18
of 57 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 25,292,646 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done particularly well and is in the 92nd percentile: it's in the top 10% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 2,200 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a lot more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 11.5. This one has done well, scoring higher than 86% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 336,748 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has done well, scoring higher than 88% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 57 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 70% of its contemporaries.