Utilisation of healthcare by immigrant adults relative to the host population: Evidence from Ireland.

objectiveWhile there is a broad consensus that barriers to access in the utilisation of healthcare exist for immigrants in the US, European evidence exploring this issue paints a mixed picture, with studies from a variety of European jurisdictions presenting different conclusions. In this context, Ireland, a European country with substantial private involvement in healthcare delivery, and, a largely young immigrant population, provides an opportunity to investigate the healthcare utilisation of immigrants compared to natives in a European country with mixed private-public healthcare provision.

designThe healthcare utilisation patterns of immigrants (defined as residents with a foreign country of birth) and native-born participants were analysed from a nationally representative health survey of 6,326 adults, carried out in Ireland in 2016. An array of socio-economic and health information was collected such that regression analysis on healthcare consultations accounted for confounding factors.

resultsNon-native residents of Ireland born outside the UK were less likely to have attended a General Practitioner (Odds ratio (OR): 0.62 [95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.51-0.74];

conclusionsLower use of healthcare by those born outside Ireland and the UK relative to the native Irish population may be due to different approaches to healthcare utilisation or obstacles to healthcare utilisation. The findings suggest that the utilisation of healthcare by immigrants merits continued policy attention to respond to the needs of these key groups in society and facilitate integration.