Building knowledge about health services utilization by refugees.

The objective of this study was to compare the utilization of outpatient physician, emergency department and hospital services between refugees and the general population in Calgary, Alberta. Data was collected on 2,280 refugees from a refugee clinic in Calgary and matched with 9,120 non-refugees. Both groups were linked to Alberta Health and Wellness administrative data to assess health services utilization over 2 years. After adjusting for age, sex and medical conditions, refugees utilized general practitioners, emergency departments and hospitals more than non-refugees. A similar proportion in the two groups had seen a general practitioner within 1 week prior to their emergency department visit; however, refugees were more likely to have been triaged for urgent conditions and female refugees seen for pregnancy-related conditions than non-refugees. Refugees were more likely to have had infectious and parasitic diseases. Refugees utilized health services more than non-refugees with no evidence of underutilization.