[Strategies by Mexican migrants in the USA to seek health care].
OBJECTIVE
To identify the strategies used by Mexican migrants to access health services in the U.S. and Mexico.


METHODS
Ethnographic study in five Mexican states, selected by their migration dynamics. A series of focus groups and in-depth interviews were conducted with health services users and providers.


RESULTS
Six strategies were identified and are used according to the severity of the disease: a) self-medication, b) telephone consultation with relatives, c) utilization of private services, d) travel to border towns, e) return to place of birth, f) getting medical care during their visits to places of origin.


CONCLUSIONS
The health care options used by Mexican migrants and their families are defined according to events related to the migration process. The implementation of public policies to protect the health of migrants on both sides of the border is critical.
Nigenda
Gustavo
G
Centro de Investigaciones en Sistemas de Salud, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México. gnigenda@insp.mx
Ruiz-Larios
José Arturo
JA
Bejarano-Arias
Rosa María
RM
Alcalde-Rabanal
Jacqueline Elizabeth
JE
Bonilla-Fernández
Pastor
P
D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000208:ethnology; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D014171:Transients and Migrants; D014481:United States