Observational studyInternational journal for equity in health2021
Overuse or underuse? Use of healthcare services among irregular migrants in a north-eastern Spanish region.
Observational study in International journal for equity in health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Barriers to healthcare access for irregular immigrants after their arrival in Spain: a systematic review.European journal of public health · 2025Pooled it
- Exploring differences in the utilization of the emergency department between migrant and non-migrant populations: a systematic review.BMC public health · 2024Pooled it
- Sex-specific differences in healthcare utilization and preventive service uptake between immigrant and native-born populations in Spain: a matched analysis of the 2023 national health survey.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Accessibility of healthcare services for seasonal migrant farmworkers in Spain: barriers and facilitators identified by professionals.Journal of migration and health · 2025Article
- Access to medicines among asylum seekers, refugees and undocumented migrants across the migratory cycle in Europe: a scoping review.BMJ global health · 2024Article
- Experiences of male irregular migrants during their migration process and reception in Spain: lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- Use of emergency primary care among pregnant undocumented migrants over ten years: an observational study from Oslo, Norway.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2023Observational
- Health service behaviors of migrants: A conceptual framework.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- Migrants' primary care utilisation before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in England: An interrupted time series analysis.The Lancet regional health. Europe · 2022Article
- Irregular Migrant Workers and Health: A Qualitative Study of Health Status and Access to Healthcare of the Filipino Domestic Workers in Mainland China.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Ten-year hospitalization trends in Mexico: Examining the profile of national and transient and migrants.Frontiers in public health · 2022Article
- Association Between Residence Status Regularization and Access to Healthcare for Undocumented Migrants in Switzerland: A Panel Study.Frontiers in public health · 2022Article
- Perspectives on Spain's legislative experience providing access to healthcare to irregular migrants: a qualitative interview study.BMJ open · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThere is little verified information on global healthcare utilization by irregular migrants. Understanding how immigrants use healthcare services based on their needs is crucial to establish effective health policy. We compared healthcare utilization between irregular migrants, documented migrants, and Spanish nationals in a Spanish autonomous community.
methodsThis retrospective, observational study included the total adult population of Aragon, Spain: 930,131 Spanish nationals; 123,432 documented migrants; and 17,152 irregular migrants. Healthcare utilization data were compared between irregular migrants, documented migrants and Spanish nationals for the year 2011. Multivariable standard or zero-inflated negative binomial regression models were generated, adjusting for age, sex, length of stay, and morbidity burden.
resultsThe average annual use of healthcare services was lower for irregular migrants than for documented migrants and Spanish nationals at all levels of care analyzed: primary care (0.5 vs 4 vs 6.7 visits); specialized care (0.2 vs 1.8 vs 2.9 visits); planned hospital admissions (0.3 vs 2 vs 4.23 per 100 individuals), unplanned hospital admissions (0.5 vs 3.5 vs 5.2 per 100 individuals), and emergency room visits (0.4 vs 2.8 vs 2.8 per 10 individuals). The average annual prescription drug expenditure was also lower for irregular migrants (€9) than for documented migrants (€77) and Spanish nationals (€367). These differences were only partially attenuated after adjusting for age, sex, and morbidity burden.
conclusionsUnder conditions of equal access, healthcare utilization is much lower among irregular migrants than Spanish nationals (and lower than that of documented migrants), regardless of country of origin or length of stay in Spain.
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