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Transnational healthcare as process: multiplicity and directionality in the engagements with healthcare among Polish migrants in the UK

Authors
Affiliations

Giuseppe Troccoli

University of Southampton

Chris Moreh

York St John University

Derek McGhee

Keele University

Athina Vlachantoni

University of Southampton

Troccoli, Moreh, McGhee and Vlachantoni

10.1080/1369183X.2021.1941820
Abstract
Drawing on a mix-methods study comprised of an online questionnaire and semi-structured interviews, this article presents findings about the complexity and development in time of health service use by Polish migrants living in the United Kingdom. The article contributes to the analysis of transnational healthcare practices by operationalising a framework that considers service access within and beyond national borders, and between private and public sectors. By categorising engagements with healthcare providers based on their occurrence in time it argues for an understanding of transnational healthcare as a process. It finds that Polish migrants manage their health by accessing a variety of different providers. This complexity is also reflected in the multiple ways in which access to services with regards to specific health issues unfolds in time. By focusing the analysis on specific health issues rather than individuals the article finds that multiple ways to access healthcare services coexist for the same participant, who does not necessarily move towards particular healthcare providers unitarily, but adopts ad hoc solutions on the basis of their experiences within specific medical areas. Understanding migrants’ patterns of accessing healthcare can contribute to more effective policy solutions supporting migrants in the UK today.

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Citation

BibTeX citation:
@article{troccoli2022,
  author = {Troccoli, Giuseppe and Moreh, Chris and McGhee, Derek and
    Vlachantoni, Athina},
  title = {Transnational Healthcare as Process: Multiplicity and
    Directionality in the Engagements with Healthcare Among {Polish}
    Migrants in the {UK}},
  journal = {Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies},
  volume = {48},
  number = {9},
  pages = {1998-2017},
  date = {2022},
  url = {https://www.chrismoreh.com/publications/articles/2022-jems/},
  doi = {10.1080/1369183X.2021.1941820},
  langid = {en},
  abstract = {Drawing on a mix-methods study comprised of an online
    questionnaire and semi-structured interviews, this article presents
    findings about the complexity and development in time of health
    service use by Polish migrants living in the United Kingdom. The
    article contributes to the analysis of transnational healthcare
    practices by operationalising a framework that considers service
    access within and beyond national borders, and between private and
    public sectors. By categorising engagements with healthcare
    providers based on their occurrence in time it argues for an
    understanding of transnational healthcare as a process. It finds
    that Polish migrants manage their health by accessing a variety of
    different providers. This complexity is also reflected in the
    multiple ways in which access to services with regards to specific
    health issues unfolds in time. By focusing the analysis on specific
    health issues rather than individuals the article finds that
    multiple ways to access healthcare services coexist for the same
    participant, who does not necessarily move towards particular
    healthcare providers unitarily, but adopts ad hoc solutions on the
    basis of their experiences within specific medical areas.
    Understanding migrants’ patterns of accessing healthcare can
    contribute to more effective policy solutions supporting migrants in
    the UK today.}
}
For attribution, please cite this work as:
Troccoli, Giuseppe, Chris Moreh, Derek McGhee, and Athina Vlachantoni. 2022. “Transnational Healthcare as Process: Multiplicity and Directionality in the Engagements with Healthcare Among Polish Migrants in the UK.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 48 (9): 1998–2017. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2021.1941820.