The Canadian Pediatric Society, the Canadian Family Physicians and Canadian Collaboration for Immigrant and Refugee Health have partnered and developed a toolkit to help healthcare providers and families navigate services to help when caring for children new to Canada. Here are 10 key points for these encounters:
Immigrant and refugee children are unique individuals and may present with different physical and psychological problems
Assessment is expected to occur over several appointments in order to build trust while screening for mental and physical illness
Using professional interpreters improves communication, clinical outcomes, and patient satisfaction
Look for chronic illness that was not adequately treated and diseases that are not commonly seen in Canada
Many children suffer from the common health disparities not related to geography, including malnutrition, psychosocial issues and lack of adequate screening
Use the first encounter to order investigations for communicable disease, hereditary anemias and region based infections
Complete screening assessments for hearing, vision, dental, growth and nutrition
Plan for up follow-up visits to provide catch up immunization
Ask about your patient’s immigrant or refugee status to guide them to the healthcare services and benefits they are entitled to
Refer to community and social services where needed. New kids to Canada provides community services and resources to help families navigate the healthcare system
The full toolkit with all the resources and e-checklist is available at: https://kidsnewtocanada.ca/
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