Health Care Utilization By Immigrants With Multimorbidity: A Population Based Cross-sectional Study Of The 2015-2016 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS)

Immigrants face unique healthcare barriers, which can negatively impact their health and health service use. Those with multimorbidity face a particular challenge as multimorbidity is associated with increased need for healthcare. The purpose of this study was to compare healthcare utilization, as measured by number of visits to family physicians and specialists, between immigrants and Canadian-born populations with multimorbidity, stratified by sex and for specific chronic diseases. A cross-sectional analysis using 2015-2016 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) was conducted. After adjusting for relevant covariates, no statistically significant differences in visits to family physicians or specialists were observed between immigrants and Canadian-born populations with multimorbidity. However, female immigrants with multimorbidity had significantly fewer visits to family physicians than Canadian-born females, while immigrant women with mental illnesses and respiratory diseases revealed significant underutilization of family physician services. Future research should elucidate healthcare barriers to utilization, with an emphasis on immigrants with multimorbidity