Trial reportBMC health services research2021
Response to language barriers with patients from refugee background in general practice in Australia: findings from the OPTIMISE study.
Trial report in BMC health services research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 39 citations in OpenAlex.
- Strategies to Increase Professional Interpreting in Clinical Settings: A Systematic Review.JAMA network open · 2025Pooled it
- Barriers and facilitators of access to maternity care for African-born women living in Australia: a meta-synthesis of qualitative evidence.Systematic reviews · 2024Pooled it
- 'Real time, real change': the role of artificial intelligence in providing real-time language translation services in regional medicine.Internal medicine journal · 2026Review
- Transition in care interventions for Refugee, Immigrant and other Migrant (RIM) populations: a health equity-oriented scoping review.Globalization and health · 2025Article
- Communication practices with patients using a language other than French: a cross-sectional survey in a university hospital in France.International journal for equity in health · 2025Article
- Digital Translation Platform (Translatly) to Overcome Communication Barriers in Clinical Care: Pilot Study.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
- The challenges experienced by Ukrainian refugees accessing General Practice: a descriptive cross-sectional study.Family practice · 2025Article
- The influence of gender norms on post-migration men's sexual and reproductive health: A scoping review.PloS one · 2025Article
- Sociodemographic and Mental Health Factors Associated with Obesity in Resettled Refugees in Syracuse, New York.Ethnicity & disease · 2024Article
- Ethical Challenges in Oral Healthcare Services Provided by Non-Governmental Organizations for Refugees in Germany.Journal of bioethical inquiry · 2024Article
- Refugee and migrants' involvement in participatory spaces in a US practice-based research network study: Responding to unanticipated priorities.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2023Article
- Drivers of the Australian Health System towards Health Care for All: A Scoping Review and Qualitative Synthesis.BioMed research international · 2023Article
- Access to health services among culturally and linguistically diverse populations in the Australian universal health care system: issues and challenges.BMC public health · 2022Review
- Palliative and End-of-Life Care Access for Immigrants Living in High-income Countries: A Scoping Review.Gerontology & geriatric medicineArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundLanguage is a barrier to many patients from refugee backgrounds accessing and receiving quality primary health care. This paper examines the way general practices address these barriers and how this changed following a practice facilitation intervention.
methodsThe OPTIMISE study was a stepped wedge cluster randomised trial set within 31 general practices in three urban regions in Australia with high refugee settlement. It involved a practice facilitation intervention addressing interpreter engagement as one of four core intervention areas. This paper analysed quantitative and qualitative data from the practices and 55 general practitioners from these, collected at baseline and after 6 months during which only those assigned to the early group received the intervention.
resultsMany practices (71 %) had at least one GP who spoke a language spoken by recent humanitarian entrants. At baseline, 48 % of practices reported using the government funded Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS). The role of reception staff in assessing and recording the language and interpreter needs of patients was well defined. However, they lacked effective systems to share the information with clinicians. After the intervention, the number of practices using the TIS increased. However, family members and friends continued to be used to interpret with GPs reporting patients preferred this approach. The extra time required to arrange and use interpreting services remained a major barrier.
conclusionsIn this study a whole of practice facilitation intervention resulted in improvements in procedures for and engagement of interpreters. However, there were barriers such as the extra time required, and family members continued to be used. Based on these findings, further effort is needed to reduce the administrative burden and GP's opportunity cost needed to engage interpreters, to provide training for all staff on when and how to work with interpreters and discuss and respond to patient concerns about interpreting services.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.