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• ER physicians reported no difference in admission or treatment of undocumented migrants
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• Lack of access to previous medical records was a problem for ER physicians
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• Delay in treatment seeking implied that undocumented migrants presented with more advanced disease
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• Providing treatment for undocumented migrants increased the administrative work.
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Access to GP care
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• Lack of formal entitlements to primary care made access more difficult
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• If the general practitioner agreed to treat the undocumented migrant, there was no difference in the services they offer in their own clinic
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• Referral pathways are more complicated for undocumented migrants e.g. only access to external diagnostic facilities at the ER
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• Follow-up was problematic due to lack of continuity of care for undocumented migrants.
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Language issues
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• Diagnosing was complicated due to language problems
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• Language barriers made it difficult for the health professional to provide psychosocial support to the undocumented migrant.
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Strategies for solving financial issues for GPs
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• GP covered expenses of treatment
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• GP offered treatment at a charge.
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Uncertainty of the health professionals
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• GPs were uncertain concerning hospital admission of undocumented migrants
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• GPs were uncertain about whether they could prescribe medicine because the undocumented migrant had no social security number
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• The encounter with undocumented migrants could evoke unpleasant feelings in GPs
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• Health professionals did not know whether they were obliged to report undocumented migrants to the police.
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Involvement of police or other authorities
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• Health professionals choose to focus solely on the medical problem of the undocumented migrant
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• Health professionals would report the undocumented migrant to the police only when they suspected a serious crime was involved
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• ER physicians would contact the police only if it was necessary for identification of the undocumented migrant or relatives in the case of a fatal outcome of treatment.
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