Family physicians' roles in the psychosocial well-being of refugees and immigrants.

Although many immigrants and refugees quickly blend into our society, many others face continuing problems as they try to learn a new language, find employment, and make friends in this new, and often perplexing, culture. The family physician can be an important contact person and source of help to these patients if he or she knows something about their special problems and needs. A large percentage of refugee and immigrant interactions with the medical profession are for other than strictly medical problems. The key to working with refugees seems to be in abandoning the "medical model" and developing an awareness of the person as an individual, learning details about his or her background, current stresses, and social supports, and in developing trust over time.