Barriers and facilitators to the access to specialized female genital cutting healthcare services: Experiences of Somali and Sudanese women in Norway.

<h4>Background</h4>Girls and women subjected to female genital cutting (FGC) risk experiencing obstetrical, gynecological, sexual, and psychological health problems. Therefore, Norway has established low-threshold specialized healthcare services where girls and women with FGC-related hea...

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Autores principales:	Mai Mahgoub Ziyada, R Elise B Johansen
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2021
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/01e459d2d58a4f98b2eb74991ac7e433
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:01e459d2d58a4f98b2eb74991ac7e4332021-12-02T20:14:32ZBarriers and facilitators to the access to specialized female genital cutting healthcare services: Experiences of Somali and Sudanese women in Norway.1932-620310.1371/journal.pone.0257588https://doaj.org/article/01e459d2d58a4f98b2eb74991ac7e4332021-01-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0257588https://doaj.org/toc/1932-6203<h4>Background</h4>Girls and women subjected to female genital cutting (FGC) risk experiencing obstetrical, gynecological, sexual, and psychological health problems. Therefore, Norway has established low-threshold specialized healthcare services where girls and women with FGC-related health problems can directly seek medical attention. Nevertheless, we lack data about access to these services, especially for non-maternity-related purposes. In this article, we explore experiences of seeking medical attention for health problems that are potentially FGC-related, aiming to identify factors that hinder or facilitate access to FGC-specialized services.<h4>Methods</h4>We conducted a qualitative study in three Norwegian cities employing semi-structured repeat interviews with 26 girls and women subjected to FGC, participant observation, and three validation focus group discussions with 17 additional participants. We thematically analyzed the data and approached access as a dynamic process of interactions between individuals and the healthcare system that lasts from an initial perception of need until reception of healthcare appropriate to that need.<h4>Findings</h4>We identified several barriers to healthcare, including 1) uncertainty about FGC as a cause of experienced health problems, 2) unfamiliarity with FGC-specialized services, 3) lack of assessment by general practitioners of FGC as a potential cause of health problems, and 4) negative interactions with healthcare providers. In contrast, factors facilitating healthcare included: 1) receiving information on FGC-related health problems and FGC-specialized services from a non-profit immigrant organization, 2) referral to gynecologists with good knowledge of FGC, and 3) positive interactions with healthcare providers.<h4>Conclusion</h4>Assessing whether FGC is the cause for experienced health problems requires diagnostic competency and should not be left entirely to the patients. We recommend that Norwegian policymakers acknowledge the central role of GPs in the clinical management of patients with FGC-related health problems and provide them with comprehensive training on FGC.Mai Mahgoub ZiyadaR Elise B JohansenPublic Library of Science (PLoS)articleMedicineRScienceQENPLoS ONE, Vol 16, Iss 9, p e0257588 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Mai Mahgoub Ziyada R Elise B Johansen Barriers and facilitators to the access to specialized female genital cutting healthcare services: Experiences of Somali and Sudanese women in Norway.
description	<h4>Background</h4>Girls and women subjected to female genital cutting (FGC) risk experiencing obstetrical, gynecological, sexual, and psychological health problems. Therefore, Norway has established low-threshold specialized healthcare services where girls and women with FGC-related health problems can directly seek medical attention. Nevertheless, we lack data about access to these services, especially for non-maternity-related purposes. In this article, we explore experiences of seeking medical attention for health problems that are potentially FGC-related, aiming to identify factors that hinder or facilitate access to FGC-specialized services.<h4>Methods</h4>We conducted a qualitative study in three Norwegian cities employing semi-structured repeat interviews with 26 girls and women subjected to FGC, participant observation, and three validation focus group discussions with 17 additional participants. We thematically analyzed the data and approached access as a dynamic process of interactions between individuals and the healthcare system that lasts from an initial perception of need until reception of healthcare appropriate to that need.<h4>Findings</h4>We identified several barriers to healthcare, including 1) uncertainty about FGC as a cause of experienced health problems, 2) unfamiliarity with FGC-specialized services, 3) lack of assessment by general practitioners of FGC as a potential cause of health problems, and 4) negative interactions with healthcare providers. In contrast, factors facilitating healthcare included: 1) receiving information on FGC-related health problems and FGC-specialized services from a non-profit immigrant organization, 2) referral to gynecologists with good knowledge of FGC, and 3) positive interactions with healthcare providers.<h4>Conclusion</h4>Assessing whether FGC is the cause for experienced health problems requires diagnostic competency and should not be left entirely to the patients. We recommend that Norwegian policymakers acknowledge the central role of GPs in the clinical management of patients with FGC-related health problems and provide them with comprehensive training on FGC.
format	article
author	Mai Mahgoub Ziyada R Elise B Johansen
author_facet	Mai Mahgoub Ziyada R Elise B Johansen
author_sort	Mai Mahgoub Ziyada
title	Barriers and facilitators to the access to specialized female genital cutting healthcare services: Experiences of Somali and Sudanese women in Norway.
title_short	Barriers and facilitators to the access to specialized female genital cutting healthcare services: Experiences of Somali and Sudanese women in Norway.
title_full	Barriers and facilitators to the access to specialized female genital cutting healthcare services: Experiences of Somali and Sudanese women in Norway.
title_fullStr	Barriers and facilitators to the access to specialized female genital cutting healthcare services: Experiences of Somali and Sudanese women in Norway.
title_full_unstemmed	Barriers and facilitators to the access to specialized female genital cutting healthcare services: Experiences of Somali and Sudanese women in Norway.
title_sort	barriers and facilitators to the access to specialized female genital cutting healthcare services: experiences of somali and sudanese women in norway.
publisher	Public Library of Science (PLoS)
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/01e459d2d58a4f98b2eb74991ac7e433
work_keys_str_mv	AT maimahgoubziyada barriersandfacilitatorstotheaccesstospecializedfemalegenitalcuttinghealthcareservicesexperiencesofsomaliandsudanesewomeninnorway AT relisebjohansen barriersandfacilitatorstotheaccesstospecializedfemalegenitalcuttinghealthcareservicesexperiencesofsomaliandsudanesewomeninnorway
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Barriers and facilitators to the access to specialized female genital cutting healthcare services: Experiences of Somali and Sudanese women in Norway.

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