Author: Alexis McGill, Vahid Salehi, Chandy Somayaji, James Ted McDonald, Kimberley Barker, Duyen Nguyen
Year: 2026
Category:
Health Publications
Many people in New Brunswick rely on different parts of the healthcare system to meet their needs, including walk‑in clinics, family doctors, emergency departments, and hospitals. As more newcomers settle in the province, understanding how they use these services helps show how well the system supports people who may be unfamiliar with local care pathways.
This study looked at healthcare use among newcomers, longer‑term immigrants, and non‑immigrants between 2017 and 2021. It used linked administrative health data and federal immigration records to compare visits to walk‑in clinics, general practitioners, emergency departments, and hospital admissions. It also examined differences in healthcare use by immigration category.
The results showed that newcomers used walk‑in clinics more often and visited family doctors and emergency departments less often than non‑immigrants, especially during their first years in the province. Over time, their use of family doctor services increased. Refugees had the highest emergency department use, while international students and temporary foreign workers used the healthcare system the least, potentially reflecting unmet needs. These patterns suggest that different groups interact with the healthcare system in different ways, shaped by their circumstances and familiarity with available services.
