Heidi Salaets

Prof. Heidi Salaets


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

19Years (2008-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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1 January 2020 in Patient Education and Counseling
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
LTLaura Theys
Laura Theys
DKDemi Krystallidou
Demi Krystallidou
HSHeidi Salaets
Heidi Salaets
Maria-Cornelia P.A.M. WermuthMaria-Cornelia P.A.M. Wermuth
Maria-Cornelia P.A.M. Wermuth
PPPeter Pype
Peter Pype

8 June 2025 in BMJ Open
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
SBSinem Bilican
Sinem Bilican
MIMohamed Irfan
Mohamed Irfan
ACAntoon Cox
Antoon Cox
HSHeidi Salaets
Heidi Salaets
Marc Bernard SabbeMarc Bernard Sabbe
Marc Bernard Sabbe
BSBirgitte Schoenmakers
Birgitte Schoenmakers
Objective To identify the factors that prevent or hinder access to mental healthcare services for refugees, asylum seekers and migrants. Design An umbrella review was conducted on scoping reviews, systematic reviews, meta-analyses and meta-syntheses published between January 2013 and December 2023. Data sources The databases searched (on 11 December 2023) included PubMed (via NCBI, including MEDLINE), Embase (via Embase.com), Web of Science Core Collection, Scopus and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (via Cochrane Library). Search strings were categorised as concepts, wherein concept one was population (refugees, asylum seekers and migrants), concept two was mental health services and concept three was the type of review (systematic review, meta-analysis, scoping review or literature review). Eligibility criteria for selecting studies Reviews were included if study participants were refugees, asylum seekers and migrants. Additionally, mental health-providing services or organisations and mental health providers were included. Excluded study participants were people with a migration background and second- or third-generation migrants. Data extraction and synthesis Two independent reviewers screened the identified articles on title and The 48 full-text articles were assessed in detail against inclusion and exclusion criteria by the two researchers and one person from the Belgian Superior Health Council. Results 18 reviews were included. The extensive literature review identified various factors that prevent and restrict access to mental healthcare services for individuals with a recent migration background. Among the eight concepts of barriers, the most frequently mentioned were stigma and stigmatisation, language and communication challenges, financial obstacles, cultural barriers (including religious beliefs and faith) and issues with service delivery. Additionally, differences in culture, education and gender were recognised as factors limiting access to mental health services. Recommendations for policy and practice included implementing a multidisciplinary and multi-agency approach to facilitate access for newly arriving migrants and refugees, increasing financial allocations for translation and interpretation services, enabling policies to promote mental health utilisation and introducing educational programmes at the grassroot level among migrants and refugees. Conclusion Policy implementation should address the identified barriers and be routinely assessed for efficacy in service delivery and uptake. Future research should focus on enabling the utilisation of mental healthcare services among migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees.

26 August 2022 in Qualitative Health Research
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
LTLaura Theys
Laura Theys
CWCornelia Wermuth
Cornelia Wermuth
EHElaine Hsieh
Elaine Hsieh
DKDemi Krystallidou
Demi Krystallidou
PPPeter Pype
Peter Pype
HSHeidi Salaets
Heidi Salaets
Doctors and patients rely on verbal and nonverbal resources to co-construct clinical empathy. In language-discordant consultations, interpreters’ communicative actions might compromise this process. We aim to explore doctors, patients, and professional interpreters’ perspectives on their own and others’ actions during their empathic interaction in interpreter-mediated consultations (IMCs). We analyzed 20 video stimulated recall interviews with doctors, patients, and interpreters using qualitative content analysis. Doctors and patients found ways to connect with each other on the level of empathic communication (EC) that is not limited by interpreters’ alterations or disengaged demeanor. Some aspects of doctors and interpreters’ professional practices might jeopardize the co-construction of EC in IMCs. The co-construction of EC in IMCs is not only subject to participants’ communicative (inter)actions, but also to organizational and subjective factors. These results provide evidence of the transactional process between the behavioral, cognitive, and affective components of clinical empathy in the context of IMCs.

14 July 2023
Verified
Book
Closed access
EBEsther de Boe
Esther de Boe
JVJelena Vranjes
Jelena Vranjes
HSHeidi Salaets
Heidi Salaets
This collection introduces an innovative micro-analytical approach to interaction management in remote interpreting, offering new insights into our understanding of the conversational dynamics of remote dialogue interpreting. The book calls attention to the need for greater reflection on the impact of the increased use of remote interpreting via telephone and video link, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, on the already complex interactional dynamics of communication in dialogue interpreting settings. Featuring perspectives from both established and emerging scholars, the volume explores both the signals and mechanisms of interaction management and the effects of context in such settings. Chapters draw on empirical studies based on experimental and authentic data from video recordings and eye-tracking data to examine the impact on smoothness and synchronization of the interaction in remote interpreting, in light of the absence of multimodal resources such as gaze and gesture. In collecting this research in a single volume, the book paves the way for further research on the changing relationships between interaction management, technology, and multimodality in dialogue interpreting contexts in today’s increasingly technology-mediated world. This volume will be of interest to students and scholars in interpreting studies, language and communication, and pragmatics.

9 September 2025 in JMIR Human Factors
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
CWCas von Winckelmann
Cas von Winckelmann
RVRobyn Vanherle
Robyn Vanherle
LSLara Schreurs
Lara Schreurs
Olivier HOOGMARTENSOlivier HOOGMARTENS
Olivier HOOGMARTENS
HSHeidi Salaets
Heidi Salaets
KBKathleen Beullens
Kathleen Beullens
Background: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs) are a leading cause of death worldwide, yet first responder apps can significantly improve outcomes by mobilizing citizens to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation before professional help arrives. Despite their importance, limited research has examined the psychological and behavioral factors that influence individuals’ willingness to adopt these apps. Objective: Given that first responder app use involves elements of both technology adoption and preventive health behavior, it is essential to examine this behavior from multiple theoretical perspectives. Building on the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) and health belief model (HBM), this study therefore developed an integrative framework to explain which behavioral determinants and demographic and health-related factors drive an individual’s willingness to install a first responder app for OHCA. Methods: We conducted a web-based cross-sectional survey (N=3660; mean age 49.95, SD 16.75 years; n=1909, 52.2% women) in June 2024 among Belgian adults. Behavioral determinants (UTAUT and HBM constructs), demographic (eg, age), and health-related (eg, cardiopulmonary resuscitation training experience) variables were measured using (multi-item) scales. Willingness to install the app served as the outcome variable. We developed a structural equation model using the Lavaan package in R and specified regression paths, on the one hand, between the behavioral determinants and willingness to install the app, and on the other hand, between the demographic and health-related factors and the behavioral determinants. Additionally, we conducted multiple group analyses to examine the moderating role of demographic and health-related factors on the relationships between the behavioral determinants and the willingness to install the app. Results: Our results revealed that 2 UTAUT variables (ie, facilitating conditions: β=.07; P=.003 and social influence: β=.16; P<.001) and 3 HBM variables (ie, perceived susceptibility: β=.06; P=.003, perceived barriers: β=–.29; P<.001, and perceived benefits: β=.38; P<.001) were associated with willingness to install a first responder app for OHCA. Additionally, most demographic and health-related factors were indirectly related to willingness via behavioral determinants, with age being the sole moderator. Specifically, a negative association between perceived severity and willingness was only observed among older adults. In addition, the positive relationship between perceived benefits and willingness was stronger for older adults compared to younger ones. Conclusions: Overall, the results of this study have both theoretical and practical implications. Theoretically, this study finds its relevance in extending the UTAUT and HBM to altruistic mobile health apps and advancing our understanding of technology adoption in health contexts. Practically, the study’s findings could inform real-life health campaigns aimed at enhancing citizen participation in first responder systems.

2 January 2025 in The Interpreter and Translator Trainer
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
RDRui Du
Rui Du
HSHeidi Salaets
Heidi Salaets