Affiliations: Universität Leipzig, Medizinische Fakultät,
Selbständige Abteilung für Medizinische Psychologie und Medizinische
Soziologie | Evangelisches Zentralinstitut für
Familienberatung Berlin
Note: [] Korrespondenzadresse: Dr. Ulla Wittig, Universität Leipzig,
Selbständige Abteilung für Medizinische Psychologie und Medizinische
Soziologie, Philipp-Rosenthal-Straße 55, 04103 Leipzig.
[email protected]
Abstract: Immigrants and refugees differ from native-born Germans in their
understanding of health and illness, in their health-related behaviours and in
their access to the health care system. Thus, concepts and approaches that
include the needs of immigrants allow the integration of immigrants into the
health care system. In this article, one of these concepts will be presented.
The project "Health needs Communication" is an example
of best practice in this field within the former East German territory, where
the history and the circumstances of immigrants and refugees are different from
those of the former West German territory. The results of the project show that
the training and employment of information multipliers, community translators
and the work of a consultation centre increase the immigrants' and
refugees' use of/access to health care services.
Keywords: Migration, health, culture, communication, best practice
