Evaluating emergency physicians’ knowledge, attitudes, and experiences of FARC ex-combatants : a pilot study of Colombia’s emergency medicine teaching hospitals

Objectives: In the 2016 Peace Accord with the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC), Colombia promised to reincorporate 14,000 ex-combatants into the healthcare system. However, FARC ex-combatants have faced significant challenges in receiving healthcare, and little is known about physicians' abilities to address this population's healthcare needs. Methods: An electronic questionnaire sent to the Colombian Emergency Medicine professional society and teaching hospitals assessed physicians' knowledge, attitudes, and experiences with the FARC ex-combatant reincorporation process. Results: Among 53 participants, most were male (60.4%), and ∼25% were affected by the FARC conflict (22.6%). Overall knowledge of FARC reincorporation was low, with nearly two-thirds of participants (61.6%) scoring in the lowest category. Attitudes around ex-combatants showed low bias. Few physicians received training about reincorporation (7.5%), but 83% indicated they would like such training. Twenty-two participants (41.5%) had identified a patient as an ex-combatant in the healthcare setting. Higher knowledge scores were significantly correlated with training about reincorporation (r = 0.354, n = 53, P = 0.015), and experience identifying patients as ex-combatants (r = 0.356, n = 47, P = 0.014). Conclusion: Findings suggested high interest in training and low knowledge of the reincorporation process. Most physicians had low bias, frequent experiences with ex-combatants, and cared for these patients when they self-identify. The emergency department (ED) serves as an entrance into healthcare for this population and a potential setting for interventions to improve care delivery, especially those related to mental healthcare. Future studies could evaluate effects of care delivery following training on ex-combatant healthcare reintegration.

• Autores: Reynolds, Christopher W.; Aguiar Martinez, Leonar G; Moretti, Katelyn; Duarte Osorio, Andres; Rosas Romero, Fabián Andrés; Patiño, Andres; Fricke, Adrienne; Zarama, Virginia; Moreno-Carrillo, Atilio; Carranza, Heidy; Arbelaez, Christian
• Tipo de recurso: Article of investigation
• Fecha de publicación: 2020
• Institución: Pontificia Universidad Javeriana
• Repositorio: Repositorio Universidad Javeriana
• Idioma: eng
• OAI Identifier: oai:repository.javeriana.edu.co:10554/53741
• Acceso en línea: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/emp2.12066; http://hdl.handle.net/10554/53741; https://doi.org/10.1002/emp2.12066
• Palabra clave: FARC ex‐combatant; Armed conflict; Attitudes and practices; Bias; Global health; Health knowledge; Public health
• License: Atribución-NoComercial 4.0 Internacional