| dc.description.abstract | A right to health is a widely recognized integral part of human rights. Yet, there are estimated 620 000 undocumented immigrants residing in the EU area, who are not provided equal healthcare services in many areas. Even when the services are provided, there are a number of factors decreasing the accessibility.
Healthcare services aim to maintain and improve health as well as relieve unneeded suffering, and therefore good quality care consists of all aspects of preventive, curative and palliative care. Without an access to sufficient healthcare services, the ability to claim the right to health is seriously endangered.
The aim of this thesis was to describe the experience of falling ill and seeking healthcare services as an undocumented immigrant in the European Union area. The method was a descriptive, thematic literature review. A search was conducted in four databases, CINAHL, Pubmed(Medline), Cochrane Library and Medic during October 2018. Altogether 571 academic articles were found, of which 13 were included in the review.
The data was analysed by thematic analysis. Two themes, falling ill and seeking help, and altogether seven subthemes were identified. The theme falling ill consisted of four sub-themes: effects on health due to undocumentation, lack of empowerment, fear and shame, and protecting factors. Theme seeking help consisted of three subthemes: complicated healthcare systems and lack of information, inconsistency and good care.
In conclusion, the results endorsed the previous findings on the problems regarding accessibility of healthcare services. According to these findings, the scientific knowledge of the experience of falling ill, seeking for healthcare services and utilizing them is lacking in many areas. No articles reporting a study conducted in Finland were found during the data collection. The varying national legislation, policies, healthcare systems and cultural factors in the EU area affect the transferability of the results, which leads to a conclusion of a gap in the knowledge of the experience of falling ill and seeking healthcare services as an undocumented immigrant in Finnish context. In conclusion, more comprehensive research in different contexts on the subject seems needed. It is crucial, that the decision-making of provision of healthcare services to the undocumented immigrants is evidence-based, and complies with healthcare ethics as well as universal human rights. | en |
