Utilization of Emergency Care Services by East African Refugees

Limited research has investigated emergency medicine utilization for East African refugees in the United States. The current study aimed to fill this important gap in the literature by investigating differences in emergency department service utilization for East African refugees compared to local residents at an Emergency Trauma Center (Level 2) in Central Minnesota. From a convenience sample of 48 East African refugees and 116 local residents that presented to an emergency department in Central Minnesota, data was collected on self-reported reasons for presenting to emergency department, care received at the emergency department, and discharge diagnoses.