Tailored information and education for patients with immigrant or minority backgrounds: a systematic reference list

Key message

International studies have shown that patients with immigrant or minority background do not have equal access to health care compared to the general population. Lack of access to tailored information and patient education is one important factor in explaining this inequality. The purpose of this report is to conduct a systematic literature search and provide an overview of the literature evaluating effects of tailored information and patient education for patients with immigrant or minority backgrounds. We designed and carried out a systematic search in relevant databases. The search was finalized in February 2017. Two or more researchers independently reviewed all references for potential inclusion based on explicit criteria. We included 285 references and sorted these into the following categories:

Literature reviews, of which

• 18 were about general topics
• 40 evaluated information and educational interventions for prevention and health promotion (primary prevention)
• 38 evaluated information and educational interventions for patients in primary health care (secondary prevention)

primary studied, of which

• 25 evaluated complex community based information and educational interventions
• 119 evaluated information and educational interventions for prevention and health promotion
• 45 evaluated information and educational interventions for patients in primary health care