Submission ID 118441
| Issue/Objective | Issue. Immigrant settlement organizations in Canada support newcomers in accessing a variety of services that address critical social factors (i.e., employment, housing, social connection, language training) that are essential in supporting immigrant integration, health and well-being. However, little is known about the key components of effective health-related service needs assessment, referral, participation and follow-up in immigrant settlement organizations. Given the rapid growth and economic importance of immigration in Canada and globally, identifying and understanding these key components will generate insights on how to improve program effectiveness in enabling health-related service access and immigrant integration. Objective. The study will define key components of effective immigrant settlement programs that support immigrant access and use of health-related services in high income countries. The study will also identify definitions and/or measurements of effectiveness used in this literature. |
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| Methodology/Approach | Methods. The scoping review follows the JBI 2020 guide for scoping review and the PRISMA-ScR checklist. Data analysis uses framework synthesis per Richie and Spencer (1995) to identify recurring themes through coding and the creation of data displays. |
| Results | Anticipated Results. The scoping review identifies key components of immigrant settlement programs that enhance program effectiveness including adequate personnel, cultural training, community engagement, and communications. The included studies suggest a link between non-clinical approaches and tailored service provision with effective implementation for improving health and wellbeing. The included studies varied in their definitions and measurement of effectiveness, with largely implicit approaches being utilized. |
| Discussion/Conclusion | Conclusion. This review responds to recent calls for research on immigrant settlement organizations and their role in supporting access to health-related services, drawing attention to their importance to immigrant health and productivity, and the need for enabling policy and government funding. Efforts to improve immigrant access to health-related services that address critical social determinants of health have the potential of mitigating the costly and inappropriate overuse of primary and emergency care that burdens an already over-stretched Canadian health system. |
| Presenters and affiliations | Claudia Allou McGill University Catherine Paquet Université Laval Alayne Adams McGill University |
