Caring for refugees can be a complex process. The language barriers, trauma and presentation of illnesses usually unseen in Canada are just some of the reasons why these patients require more in-depth knowledge and support.
To help meet this need Dr. Guillaume Mongeau-Martin and the physician group at the Calgary Refugee Health Program developed the Refugee Care app.
“People don’t have time to read an 80-page document which is why I had the idea to create an app to make it easy not only for physicians in Calgary but for all family physicians in Canada,” says Dr. Mongeau-Martin.
Based on years of experience treating refugees at the Mosaic Primary Care Networks Refugee Health Clinic, the Refugee Care app is meant to be used as a clinical resource to guide Canadian family physicians through the initial screening and management of newly arrived refugees and refugee claimants.
Designed as an easy to use tool to help guide physicians through the first few visits with refugee patients and newly arrived immigrants the Refugee Care app is divided into five main sections:
- First visit — provides key information to guide physicians through their first appointment with newly arrive refugee patients
- Lab results — laboratory findings on the initial screening tests and their respective management
- Common issues — Commonly encountered medical conditions in refugee patients and their management
- Maps — Maps used in refugee care (mainly distribution/prevalence maps)
- Tables — Lists and algorithms used in refugee care
“We don’t usually use maps and tables when dealing with other patients but in this care it’s quite important to know where they’re coming from to see what diseases are present there,” says Dr. Mongeau-Martin.
The app is free and available for download on the Apple and Google Play app stores. For more information and resources on working with refugees visit the Mosaic PCN website.
