Home
Exercise Catalogue
Refugee Health Journey: Understanding Barriers and Building Culturally Sensitive Solutions
Exercise #14
Refugee Health Journey: Understanding Barriers and Building Culturally Sensitive Solutions
Authors: Dr Elena Rousou, Dr Panagiota Ellina, Mrs Paraskevi Charitou
60-75 minutes
Description
A role-based case study exercise in which students analyse a Syrian refugee family navigating healthcare barriers — language, affordability, stigma, and discrimination — and propose culturally sensitive interventions at the individual, institutional, and policy levels.
Methodological Guide
Objectives
Recognise systemic and individual barriers to healthcare faced by refugees and migrants. Reflect on cultural, linguistic, and social factors influencing health outcomes. Develop empathy and cultural humility through role-based scenario analysis. Propose practical, culturally sensitive interventions for equitable health access.
Expected Outcomes
Explain key barriers faced by refugees and migrants in accessing healthcare. Propose at least two culturally sensitive strategies to improve health access. Demonstrate awareness of own cultural filters and biases.
Exercise Procedure
Introduction (10 minutes): Teacher presents the case study scenario. Individual reading (5 minutes). Group discussion and role-play (30-40 minutes): Groups analyse the barriers the refugee family faces in seeking care; groups role-play different stakeholders (refugee family, healthcare provider, policy-maker); each group presents their proposed strategies. Summary (10 minutes). Group Reflection (10 minutes): Teacher facilitates reflection: 'What did we learn about equity, cultural sensitivity, and systemic barriers?'
Mode of Implementation
Group work (3-5 students per group). Online breakout rooms or classroom clusters.
Role of the Teacher
Facilitator and guide. Provides case materials and clarifies roles. Encourages balanced participation, supports reflection, and ensures respectful dialogue.
Theoretical Basis
Disorienting Dilemma: Students are placed in the role of a refugee navigating a healthcare system in a host country. Critical Reflection: They must identify the barriers encountered (e.g., language, discrimination, low health literacy) and connect them to concepts in the chapter. Dialogue and Action: Small groups brainstorm solutions and present strategies that could improve healthcare delivery for migrants and refugees.
Practical Application
Students engage in a role-play simulation where each group takes the perspective of a refugee family, a healthcare provider, and a policy-maker. They use the case study to map barriers and design culturally responsive interventions. They bridge theory with practice by comparing their proposed solutions to real-world initiatives from WHO or IOM.
Knowledge Transfer
Students reflect on how these insights apply across different healthcare contexts (clinics, hospitals, NGOs). Emphasis on transferring skills of cultural humility, advocacy, and health equity to real patient care.
Reinforcement & Reflection
Teacher provides formative feedback on group presentations. Peer feedback: students comment on the feasibility and inclusivity of each group's solution. Reflection prompts uploaded to the e-platform allow for individual self-assessment.
Required Resources
Case study scenario (embedded above). Whiteboard or shared digital workspace (Padlet, Miro, Google Jamboard). Chapter reading.
Assessment / Evaluation
Reflective journal: 'How did this activity shift my perspective on refugee health?' Peer feedback on group solutions using guiding prompts: Was the solution realistic? Was it culturally sensitive?
Practical Tips
Encourage use of Human Library (inviting guest speakers with lived refugee experience if possible). Use multilingual materials or translation tools to highlight real barriers.
Discussion Topics
How can health professionals advocate for refugees and migrants at the policy level? What role do social determinants of health play in refugee health outcomes? How do cultural beliefs about mental health affect care-seeking behavior?
Further Resources
World Health Organization (WHO): Health of Refugees and Migrants - Practice Guidance (2022). International Organization for Migration (IOM): Migration Health Research Portal. UNHCR Learning Platform: Courses on cultural mediation, trauma-informed care, and refugee rights. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC): Guidance on public health management of refugee populations.
Additional Remarks
Encourage groups to consider not only clinical but also social and policy dimensions of refugee health. Remind students to reflect on their own cultural assumptions during role-play and discussion.