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Peer Review

Interprofessional Approach to Refugee Health: A Practical Guide for Interdisciplinary Health and Social Care Teams

Reviewed:

Oct 21, 2025 by Health Sciences
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Ratings

Overall Rating: 4.8 stars
Content Quality: 4.8 stars
Effectiveness: 4.8 stars
Ease of Use: 4.8 stars
Overview:

As global displacement reaches unprecedented levels, health and social care professionals increasingly find themselves supporting people with refugee experience whose health and wellbeing needs are complex, urgent, and often unmet. This timely and practical book provides essential guidance for professionals—particularly those new to working in this context—on how to deliver compassionate, culturally responsive, and effective care to forcibly displaced individuals and communities. Drawing on personal narratives of displacement, international research, global best practices, and firsthand professional experience, this volume addresses the many challenges refugees face in accessing appropriate health and social care, including trauma, chronic illness, mental health conditions, housing insecurity, and language barriers. Contributions from a diverse range of professionals—across nursing, occupational therapy, psychology, psychotherapy, physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, and more—highlight the interprofessional collaboration necessary to meet these multifaceted needs. Through real-life case studies, reflective prompts, and a strong focus on person-centred, equitable care, this book centres the lived experiences of refugees and emphasizes the importance of listening, learning, and adapting care to each individual’s story. A vital resource for practitioners, students, policymakers, and educators, this book bridges the gap between evidence and practice and empowers professionals to build inclusive and responsive systems of care for those affected by forced migration.

Type of Material:

  • Open (Access) Textbook
Recommended Uses:

In-Class

  • Case or scenario discussions

  • Guided reflection on refugee narratives

  • Interprofessional problem-solving

Team Learning

  • Group care-plan design

  • Role-play or simulation for cultural communication

Homework / Independent Study

  • Assigned readings with reflection prompts

  • Short analyses of global migration or policy examples

Lecture / Seminar

  • Framework for health equity or global health units

  • Source for guest panels or discussion starters

Self-Paced / Online

  • Asynchronous modules on trauma-informed or culturally responsive care

  • Digital reflections or discussion boards

Capstone / Community Projects

  • Resource development or advocacy projects

  • Interprofessional service-learning applications

Technical Requirements:

  • Internet access
  • Web browser
Identify Major Learning Goals:

After completion of the resource, learners will

1. Describe the many challenges refugees face in accessing appropriate health and social care, including trauma, chronic illness, mental health conditions, housing insecurity, and language barriers. 

2. Explain the lived experiences of refugees, emphasizing the importance of listening, learning, and adapting care to each individual’s story.

3. Explain the interprofessional aspect of refugee healthcare.

 

Target Student Population:

  • College Upper Division, Graduate School, Professional
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

  • Basic mental health knowledge.

Content Quality

Rating:
Strengths:

  • The challenges that refugees encounter as complete and valid.
  • The OER textbook is black and white text with images, figures, and self-reflection activities.
  • The OER textbook is scholarly, including citations and references.
Concerns:

  • Some of the content seemed to lag and could have been condensed to make it easier to digest. The voice or style changed often.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:
Strengths:

  • The content is outstanding.
  • The book is excellent with including a comprehensive understanding of the challenges that refugees face.
  • The source may be used in a variety of ways.
  • Promotes self-awareness and professional growth through guided reflection, supporting both cognitive and affective learning domains.

 

 

Concerns:

  • The chapters vary in depth and writing style. Consider using a consistent chapter format.
  • While reflective questions are included, there are few structured assessment tools (e.g., rubrics, knowledge checks, quizzes, or competency checklists) to measure student learning outcomes directly.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:
Strengths:

  • Headings are hierarchically structured and set up for screen readers.
  • Images and figures have alt text.
  • Text is fully selectable, copyable, and searchable across all formats (HTML, PDF, EPUB, and Kindle).
  • The Open Book Publishers site is stable, loads quickly, and offers downloads in multiple formats. No broken links or navigation errors were observed.
  • Embedded figures (maps, charts, and frameworks) are captioned and consistently labeled.
Concerns:

The resource is largely text-based, with no embedded video, audio, or interactive elements to support multimodal learning or digital engagement.

Active links and/ or quizzes and games would have made the content easier to use and interactive.

Other Issues and Comments:

The resource fills a critical gap in interprofessional education on refugee health, bridging theory, ethics, and applied practice. It is both scholarly and human-centered, promoting empathy, global awareness, and practical competence.

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