This systematic review aimed to characterize the violence, explore the experiences of accessing health services, and highlight any strategies used to improve the access and experiences of healthcare for asylum seekers and refugees in the UK.
EMBASE, EMCARE, MEDLINE, CINAHL, and Web of Science were searched in February 2024. We included manuscripts that included asylum seekers or refugees who had accessed healthcare settings in the UK. The Joanna Briggs Institute tools were used to assess risk of bias, and data were synthesised narratively.
Twelve manuscripts were included in this review published between 2004 and 2023. The violence experienced by asylum seekers and refugees was characterized as domestic violence, family violence, torture, and sexual violence. There are vulnerability and cultural issues, health issues, and health innovations that affect the experiences and access to healthcare by asylum seekers and refugees. Providing holistic antenatal and midwifery services, reducing language barriers, addressing specific health needs, and careful use of digital health innovations can improve the access and healthcare experiences of asylum seekers and refugees.
These data provide public health and healthcare services some insight into how to provide culturally safe, accessible healthcare for asylum seekers and refugees in the UK.