title: Level of distress, somatisation and beliefs on health-disease in newly arrived immigrant patients attended in primary care centres in Catalonia and definition of professional competences for their most effective management: PROMISE Project.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Newly arrived immigrant patients who frequently use primary health care resources have difficulties in verbal communication. Also, they have a system of beliefs related to health and disease that makes difficult for health care professionals to comprehend their reasons for consultation, especially when consulting for somatic manifestations. Consequently, this is an important barrier to achieve optimum care to these groups. The current project has two main objectives: 1. To define the different stressors, the level of distress perceived, and its impact in terms of discomfort and somatisation affecting the main communities of immigrants in our area, and 2. To identify the characteristics of cross-cultural competence of primary health care professionals to best approach these reasons for consultation.
  
  
  METHODS
  It will be a transversal, observational, multicentre, qualitative-quantitative study in a sample of 980 people from the five main non-European Union immigrant communities residing in Catalonia: Maghrebis, Sub-Saharans, Andean South Americans, Hindustanis, and Chinese. Sociodemographic data, level of distress, information on the different stressors and their somatic manifestations will be collected in specific questionnaires. Through a semi-structured interview and qualitative methodology, it will be studied the relation between somatic manifestations and particular beliefs of each group and how these are associated with the processes of disease and seeking for care. A qualitative methodology based on individual interviews centred on critical incidents, focal groups and in situ questionnaires will be used to study the cross-cultural competences of the professionals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is expected a high level of chronic stress associated with the level of somatisations in the different non-European Union immigrant communities. The results will provide better knowledge of these populations and will improve the comprehension and the efficacy of the health care providers in prevention, communication, care management and management of resources.
authors: Primary Healthcare Research Support Unit Metropolitana Nord, IDIAP Jordi Gol, Carrer Major 49-53, 08921 Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Spain. ptoran.bnm.ics@gencat.cat
authors: Pere
authors: P
authors: Torán-Monserrat
authors: Jordi
authors: J
authors: Cebrià-Andreu
authors: Josep
authors: J
authors: Arnau-Figueras
authors: Jordi
authors: J
authors: Segura-Bernal
authors: Anna
authors: A
authors: Ibars-Verdaguer
authors: Josep
authors: J
authors: Massons-Cirera
authors: M Carmen
authors: MC
authors: Barreiro-Montaña
authors: Sandra
authors: S
authors: Santamaria-Bayes
authors: Esther
authors: E
authors: Limón-Ramírez
authors: Juan José
authors: JJ
authors: Montero-Alia
authors: Carles
authors: C
authors: Pérez-Testor
authors: Guillem
authors: G
authors: Pera-Blanco
authors: Laura
authors: L
authors: Muñoz-Ortiz
authors: Carolina
authors: C
authors: Palma-Sevillano
authors: Gerard
authors: G
authors: Segarra-Gutiérrez
authors: Sergi
authors: S
authors: Corbella-Santomà
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D054521:Cultural Competency / Q000523:psychology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology*; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000208:ethnology; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D000078329:Workforce; D055815:Young Adult
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