Refugees and asylum seekers: implications for ED care in Auckland, New Zealand.

Refugees and asylum seekers are a significant proportion of attendees in Auckland emergency departments. While culture and ethnicity are factors in addressing the healthcare needs of refugee families, other factors such as the physical and psychological sequelae of the refugee experience, health care prior to arrival in New Zealand, poverty, language, and the trauma of resettlement also have a major impact. This article discusses some of the special health needs of refugee populations and the contribution emergency nurses can make to improving health outcomes for these people.