Paving the way for equitable and guaranteed access to vaccination for Newly Arrived Migrants

Abstract Background There is a gap in knowledge on the country-specific access to vaccination for Newly Arrived Migrants (NAM) in Europe, the obstacles encountered, and the resources available to surmount these barriers. The AcToVax4NAM project addresses gaps in the vaccination process of NAM in 8 European countries by developing country-specific, action-oriented flowcharts of the vaccination pathway that identify barriers and provide barrier-specific solutions. The flowcharts are linked to a comprehensive Repository of Tools aimed at providing tools to overcome system barriers and ensuring equitable immunization access for NAM in all consortium countries. Methods Country-specific action-oriented flowcharts group the vaccination pathway for NAM in the five hubs (entitlement, reachability, adherence, achievement, and evaluation) and offer solutions for identified barriers. Participatory research validated these flowcharts via focus group discussions with 84 total professionals FOR health (PFH) involved in NAM immunization. The tools were sourced from all consortium countries, encompass diverse formats and languages, and provide a holistic approach to vaccination promotion. Results The validated instrument was deemed useful, relevant, and easily understandable. Validated barriers included the lack of multi-stakeholder collaboration, culturally competent PFH, tailored educational materials, and language barriers. Meanwhile, the linked Repository includes 359 tools categorized according to the five hubs of the vaccination pathway. These can be filtered by language, country, type of tool, year of issuance, and/or intended target population. Conclusions The flowcharts and the Repository serve as the basis for a pilot intervention aiming to strengthen healthcare system responsiveness to promote NAM immunization. This participatory approach aims to equip PFH with a clear understanding of system-level vaccination barriers and solutions to enhance vaccination uptake among NAMs.