Determinants for the humanitarian workforce in migrant health at the US-Mexico border

Optimizing learning from health professionals in Matamoros and Reynosa, Mexico

Bibliographic Data

ID22069840
AuthorsChristopher W Reynolds (0000-0001-6634-391X, Michigan Medicine, corresponding author), Savannah F Ryan (University of Michigan), Eesha Acharya (University of Michigan), Ipek Berberoglu (Michigan Medicine), S M Bishop (0009-0000-2328-6804), Samuel Bishop, Brendon Tucker, Juan Daniel Barreto-Arboleda (University of Oslo), Jorge Ibarra (0000-0002-1955-8122, Universidad Tamaulipeca), Jorge Armando Flores Ibarra, Penelope Vera, Laura Jocelyne Fuentes Orozco, Sarah Draugelis (0000-0002-4948-2093), Amir M Mohareb (0000-0002-3761-6154, Harvard University), Florian Schmitzberger (0000-0002-9314-4868, Michigan Medicine)
Year2024
Volume12
Pages1447054-1447054
Publication date2024-10-10
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFrontiers in Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2296-2565 • E-ISSN: 2296-2565
PublisherFrontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/fpubh.2024.1447054
PMID39450379
OpenAlexW4403313132
LanguageEN
References cited33

Introduction: Shortages of health professionals is a common problem in humanitarian settings, including among migrants and refugees at the US-Mexico border. We aimed to investigate determinants and recruitment recommendations for working with migrants to better understand how to improve health professional participation in humanitarian efforts. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with health professionals working with migrants at the US-Mexico border in Matamoros and Reynosa, Mexico. The study aimed to identify motivations, facilitators, barriers, and sacrifices to humanitarian work, and recommendations for effective learning approaches to increase participation. Participants included health professionals working within humanitarian organizations to deliver healthcare to migrants living in non-permanent encampments. Interviews lasted approximately 45 min and were analyzed in NVivo14 using a validated codebook and team-based methodology. Results: Among 27 participants, most were female (70%) with median age 32. Health professionals included nurses (41%), physicians (30%), logisticians (11%), social workers (7%), an EMT (4%), and a pharmacist (4%) from the US (59%), Mexico (22%), Cuba (11%), Peru (4%), and Nicaragua (4%) working for four organizations. Participants expressed internal motivations for working with migrants, including a desire to help vulnerable populations (78%), past experiences in humanitarianism (59%), and the need to address human suffering (56%). External facilitators included geographic proximity (33%), employer flexibility (30%), and logistical support (26%). Benefits included improved clinical skills (63%), sociocultural learning (63%), and impact for others (58%). Negative determinants included sacrifices such as career obligations (44%), family commitments (41%), and safety risks (41%), and barriers of limited education (44%) and volunteer opportunities (37%). Participants criticized aspects of humanitarian assistance for lower quality care, feeling useless, and minimizing local capacity. Recommendations to increase the health workforce caring for migrants included integration of humanitarian training for health students (67%), collaborations between health institutions and humanitarian organizations (52%), and improved logistical and mental health support (41%). Conclusion: Health professionals from diverse roles and countries identified common determinants to humanitarian work with migrants. Recommendations for recruitment reflected feasible and collaborative approaches for professionals, organizations, and trainees to pursue humanitarian health. These findings can be helpful in designing interventions to address workforce shortages in humanitarian migrant contexts

Health care · Political science · Refugee · Workforce · Cultural Competency in Health Care · Global Health Workforce Issues · Medicine · Migration, Health and Trauma · Nursing

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access