General practitioners’ assessment of Ukrainian refugees arriving in Denmark

INTRODUCTION: More than 31,000 Ukrainian refugees have been resettled in Denmark. To mitigate related health challenges, the Danish Health Authority issued Guidelines for Healthcare Professionals on Displaced Ukrainians in 2022, stating that general practitioners (GPs) should conduct a health assessment at one of the first contacts with a Ukrainian refugee. We aimed to explore how GPs had implemented this health policy into practice. METHODS: From 11 May to 22 June 2023, we distributed a self-administered online questionnaire to 3,284 GPs through the newsletter of the Danish Organisation of General Practitioners (PLO). Analyses included frequencies and statistical logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: A total of 55 GP responded. Those who were knowledgeable about the guidelines were significantly more likely to ask adults (OR = 4.0; 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.1-7.9) and children (odds ratio (OR) = 4.7; 95% CI: 1.4-16.1) about vaccination status and infectious diseases (OR = 5.0; 95% CI: 3.6-19.3) as part of a general health assessment. GPs experienced language barriers and a lack of knowledge about refugee health as obstacles to implementing the guidelines. GPs also found that Ukrainian refugees had a high need for interpreters and lacked the competencies needed to navigate healthcare services. Lastly, GPs expressed that intersectoral cooperation and referral possibilities were lacking. CONCLUSIONS: Our study highlights the importance of providing structural support and evaluation to ensure that migrant health policies effectively impact the target groups in practice. FUNDING: None. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Regional Data Protection Centre (P-504-0406/23-5000).