Impact of migration on illness experience and help-seeking strategies of patients from Turkey and Bosnia in primary health care in Basel

Migration, particularly among refugees and asylum seekers, poses many challenges to the health system of host countries. This study examined the impact of migration history on illness experience, its meaning and help-seeking strategies of migrant patients from Bosnia and Turkey with a range of common health problems in general practice in Basel, Switzerland. The Explanatory Model Interview Catalogue, a data collection instrument for cross-cultural research which combines epidemiological and ethnographic research approaches, was used in semi-structured one-to-one patient interviews. Bosnian patients (n=36) who had more traumatic migration experiences than Turkish/Kurdish (n=62) or Swiss internal migrants (n=48) reported a larger number of health problems than the other groups. Psychological distress was reported most frequently by all three groups in response to focussed queries, but spontaneously reported symptoms indicated the prominence of somatic, rather than psychological or psychosocial, problems. Among Bosnians, 78% identified traumatic migration experiences as a cause of their illness, in addition to a range of psychological and biomedical causes. Help-seeking strategies for the current illness included a wide range of treatments, such as basic medical care at private surgeries, outpatients department in hospitals as well as alternative medical treatments among all groups. Findings provide a useful guide to clinicians who work with migrants and should inform policy in medical care, information and health promotion for migrants in Switzerland as well as further education of health professionals on issues concerning migrants health.