106 ‘It feels like home’ - patient-experiences from three Danish Migrant Health Outpatient Clinics

Abstract PTH 7: Health Policy and Health Services 2, B308 (FCSH), September 5, 2025, 11:30 - 12:24 Aims Inequalities in access to health for migrant patients have led to the initiative of culturally sensitive interventions targeted this patient group. An example of this is the establishment of three Migrant Health Outpatient Clinics (MHOCs) in Denmark. These clinics target patients with multimorbidity, complex health needs, and psychosocial challenges using a holistic, cross-sectional, and interdisciplinary approach. This study aimed at exploring patient experiences of attending the MHOCs. Methods Twenty-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with patients attending the MHOCs. Participants with varied backgrounds were recruited using purposeful maximum variation sampling. Interpretive description was used as the methodological approach. Results Two major themes were identified: “feeling understood” and “being helped, not ‘cured’” . Being perceived as a whole person, getting emotional and practical support from the healthcare professionals, and having the right time and setting to open up, contributed to the feeling of being understood. This made participants build a trustful relationship with the healthcare professionals, which in turn made them share their stories and rely on the information they received on how to accept and live a life with chronic disease. Together this made participants feel less distressed about their health and better equipped to live with chronic diseases, past traumas, and current socioeconomic challenges in life. Conclusion The results of this study showed how migrant patients had positive experiences with attending the MHOCs, showing the added value of using a holistic and targeted approach to care. Further studies are needed to evaluate the long-term clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness.