ArticleInternational journal for equity in health2024
"No Papers, No Treatment": a scoping review of challenges faced by undocumented immigrants in accessing emergency healthcare.
Article in International journal for equity in health, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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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.
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Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Between duty and constraint: a qualitative systematic review of healthcare providers' ethical challenges and moral stressors in caring for undocumented migrants.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2026Pooled it
- Health insurance expansion for migrants and maternal, perinatal, and infant health outcomes in Colombia: a national cohort study (2013-2020).Lancet regional health. Americas · 2026Article
- Epidemiology of appendicitis in Ecuador, 2004-2024: a national time-series analysis of incidence, trends, geographic variation, and case-fatality rates.Lancet regional health. Americas · 2026Article
- Protecting Health Care as a Safe Space: Immigration Enforcement and Public Health.Journal of immigrant and minority health · 2026Article
- Mental health care access among Latinx and Indigenous Mexican immigrants in rural desert communities in the COVID-19 pandemic: a community-engaged study.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Understanding barriers for refugees and migrants when accessing abortion care in Europe: a scoping review.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Healthcare Access Dynamics and Characteristics of Foreign Nationals Using Emergency Departments: A Retrospective Study from Türkiye.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Perceptions of and barriers to equitable healthcare access for undocumented populations in Belize: a qualitative study.International journal for equity in health · 2026Article
- "Todo con Corazon, Hacemos Milagros*": a qualitative analysis of the needs of newly arrived immigrants amid complex political and healthcare landscapes.BMJ public health · 2026Article
- Welcoming care practices for migrant children in Primary Health Care: a scoping review.Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da U S P · 2026Article
- Challenges to healthcare access for migrants in transit: A scoping review.Journal of migration and health · 2026Review
- Invisible lives: understanding the food insecurity and food-seeking behaviour among Bangladeshi undocumented migrants amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Engaging migrants and immigrants in genetics research.Nature genetics · 2025Review
- Coverage disparities in mobile health services for migrant workers in Korea: a spatial equity analysis.Journal of global health · 2025Article
- Artificial Intelligence in migrant health: a critical perspective on opportunities and risks.The Lancet regional health. Europe · 2025Review
- The forgotten - overcoming challenges in diabetes care for marginalized populations.Expert review of endocrinology & metabolism · 2025Review
- Health is wealth and documents are the currency: exploring the role of NGOs in facilitating healthcare access for undocumented migrants in the Netherlands - a qualitative study.International journal for equity in health · 2025Article
- The Labour Conditions and Health of Migrant Agricultural Workers in Spain: A Qualitative Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Barriers to healthcare for racialised populations in Europe: a scoping review of reviews.International journal for equity in health · 2025Article
- Health equity and system resilience during crises - ensuring healthcare for refugees based on lessons from Iran's response to the 2021 Afghan migration.International journal for equity in health · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundUndocumented immigrants face many obstacles in accessing emergency healthcare. Legal uncertainties, economic constraints, language differences, and cultural disparities lead to delayed medical care and thereby exacerbate health inequities. Addressing the healthcare needs of this vulnerable group is crucial for both humanitarian and public health reasons. Comprehensive strategies are needed to ensure equitable health outcomes.
objectiveThis study aimed to identify and analyze the barriers undocumented immigrants face in accessing emergency healthcare services and the consequences on health outcomes.
methodsWe used a scoping review methodology that adhered to established frameworks. Utilizing MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, PsychoInfo, and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), we identified 153 studies of which 12 focused on the specific challenges that undocumented immigrants encounter when accessing emergency healthcare services based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria.
resultsThe results show that undocumented immigrants encounter significant barriers to emergency healthcare, including legal, financial, linguistic, and cultural challenges. Key findings were the extensive use of emergency departments as primary care due to lack of insurance and knowledge of alternatives, challenges faced by health professionals in providing care to undocumented migrants, increased hospitalizations due to severe symptoms and lack of healthcare access among undocumented patients, and differences in emergency department utilization between irregular migrants and citizens. The findings also serve as a call for enhanced healthcare accessibility and the dismantling of existing barriers to mitigate the adverse effects on undocumented immigrants' health outcomes.
conclusionsUndocumented immigrants' barriers to emergency healthcare services are complex and multifaceted and therefore require multifaceted solutions. Policy reforms, increased healthcare provider awareness, and community-based interventions are crucial for improving access and outcomes for this vulnerable population. Further research should focus on evaluating the effectiveness of these interventions and exploring the broader implications of healthcare access disparities.
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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.