Health and wellbeing are social constructs that differ from culture to culture. Globalisation and the increase in migration lead to a higher percentage of migrants amongst the population of many nations. Patients from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds have different needs and requirements than the native population. Their construct of health differs and so do the therapeutic interventions they deem adequate for their health condition. Dissatisfaction on part of migrant patients and incomprehension leads to an increase in the costs of treatment of the migrant population. Both the public and the private healthcare sectors can allocate their resources better and reduce costs if they know how to service the needs of the migrant population.
The Migration & Health Expertise Coaching program amongst other things deals with:
- Understanding how the ethnic and cultural background shapes the perception of health and wellbeing
- Understanding the differing requirements of the migrant population and tailoring services in alignment with their requirements
- Developing and adapting existing services to the needs of the migrant population
- Measuring the efficacy of the therapeutic interventions in the cultural context
The benefits of Migration & Health coaching include:
- Greater customer satisfaction
- Better resource allocation and cost reduction
- Better collaboration between patients and health care professionals
- Reduction in conflicts and litigations and improvement in working climate
