Refugees

INTRODUCTION: The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 resulted in the displacement of approximately 12.5 million refugees to adjacent countries including Poland, that may have strained healthcare service delivery. OBJECTIVES: Using the ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) data, we aimed to evaluate whether the Russian invasion of Ukraine has indirectly impacted the delivery of acute cardiovascular care in Poland. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We analyzed all adult patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) for STEMI across Poland between 25th February 2017 to 24th May 2022...

AIMS: The importation of rabid animals poses a continual threat to rabies freedom in the European Union (EU). Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the European Commission eased the rules on companion animal importations for Ukrainian refugees through derogations to the EU Pet Travel Scheme (EU PETS). As Ukraine remains endemic for canine rabies, this paper aimed to quantitatively assess whether the change in regulations affected the risk of rabies introduction to the EU...

BACKGROUND: Following the change of government in August 2021, the social and economic landscape of Afghanistan deteriorated into an economic and humanitarian crisis. Afghans continue to struggle to access basic healthcare services, making Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in the country a major challenge. The aim of this study was to perform a qualitative investigation into the main access to care challenges in Afghanistan and whether these challenges have been influenced by the recent socio-political developments, by examining the perspectives of health professionals and hospital directors working in the country...

BACKGROUND: Limb salvage by ortho-plastic teams is the standard protocol for treating open tibial fractures in high-income countries, but there's limited research on this in conflict settings like the Gaza Strip. This study assessed the clinical impact of gunshot-related open tibial fractures, compared patient management by orthopedic and ortho-plastic teams, and identified the risk factors for bone non-union in this context. METHODS: A retrospective review of medical records was conducted on Gaza Strip patients with gunshot-induced-open tibial fractures from March 2018 to October 2020...

BACKGROUND: Migration to Scotland has increased since 2002 with an increase in European residents and participation in the Asylum dispersal scheme. Scotland has become more ethnically diverse, and 10% of the current population were born abroad. Migration and ethnicity are determinants of health, and information on the health status of migrants to Scotland and their access to and barriers to care facilitates the planning and delivery of equitable health services. This study aimed to scope existing peer-reviewed research and grey literature to identify gaps in evidence regarding the health of migrants in Scotland...

OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to explore the experiences and perceptions of healthcare providers (HCPs) regarding the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) challenges of Eritrean refugee women in Ethiopia. DESIGN: A qualitative exploratory design with the key informant approach. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: The study was conducted in the Afar regional state, North East, Ethiopia. The study participants were HCP responsible for providing SRH care for refugee women...

BACKGROUND: Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) has become a popular mobile health study design to understand the lived experiences of dynamic environments. The numerous study design choices available to EMA researchers, however, may quickly increase participant burden and could affect overall adherence, which could limit the usability of the collected data. OBJECTIVE: This study quantifies what study design, participant attributes, and momentary factors may affect self-reported burden and adherence...

AIM: To describe the characteristics of patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) presenting to a tertiary paediatric hospital in Perth, Western Australia. Review of implementation of previous follow-up recommendations for the cohort was also undertaken. METHOD: A retrospective data analysis of all individuals aged between 0 and 17 years presenting to the tertiary children's hospital who were hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive over 8 years (2013-2020)...

In a growing number of destination countries state authorities have started to use various digital devices such as analysis of data captured from mobile phones to verify asylum seekers' claimed country of origin. This move has prompted some critics to claim that asylum decision-making is increasingly delegated to machines. Based on fieldwork at a reception centre in Germany, this paper mobilises insights from science and technology studies (STS) to develop a framework that allows for more nuanced analyses and modes of critiques of the digitisation of asylum procedures...

This field report presents the planning and execution of a large-scale aeromedical refugee retrieval operation amid the on-going Russia-Ukraine crisis. The retrieval was coordinated by the Italian Department of Civil Protection and led by the Centrale Remota Operazioni Soccorso Sanitario (CROSS), a governmental facility overseeing medical assistance. An Airbus A320 was chosen for its capacity of 165 passengers, with one emergency stretcher maintaining maximum seating. The aircraft was equipped with an Advanced Life Support kit, and specific considerations for medical equipment compliance were made...

BACKGROUND: For people from asylum-seeking and refugee backgrounds, housing and the re-establishment of home are key social determinants of health. Research highlights the inequities faced by asylum seekers and refugees in the housing markets of high-income resettlement countries, resulting in their overrepresentation in precarious housing. There is also emerging evidence of the relationship between housing and health for this population relating to lack of affordability, insecurity of tenure, and poor suitability (physical and social)...

This paper investigates the impact on Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities in Australia of government and community responses to the coronavirus pandemic of 2019 in the domains of education, employment, housing, social connectedness, and public health communication. Most of the examples are drawn from the state of New South Wales. In Australia, CALD refers to people from countries not classified as main English speaking. Most CALD communities reported in this article are from refugee backgrounds, are recently arrived migrants or do not use English in most of their communication...

INTRODUCTION: Adolescent North Korean defectors are vulnerable due to harmful environments during defection, limited access to sex education in North Korea, and exposure to different sexual norms in South Korea. The purpose of this study was to investigate the sexual knowledge, attitudes, and sex education needs of North Korean refugee adolescents. METHODS: A cross-sectional, descriptive survey was administered to 102 North Korean refugee adolescents. RESULTS: The correct answer rate for questions on genital anatomy, physiology, masturbation, and contraception was less than 20%...

BACKGROUND: Migration has challenged society. Most people who move do so for economic reasons, but others move for more tragic reasons. The proportion of female migrants was slightly higher than that of male migrants, partly due to the longer life expectancy of women and the higher demand for female migrants in care-related Jobs. The process may affect migrants' health, particularly in countries where healthcare is associated with high economic costs or insurance availability. A global systematic review of qualitative studies with meta-synthesis was conducted...

BACKGROUND: The Taliban takeover in August 2021 ended a decades-long conflict in Afghanistan. Yet, along with improved security, there have been collateral changes, such as the exacerbation of the economic crisis and brain drain. Although these changes have altered the lives of Afghans in many ways, it is unclear whether they have affected access to care. This study aimed to analyse Afghans' access to care and how this access has changed after August 2021. METHODS: The study relied on the collaboration with the non-governmental organisation EMERGENCY, running a network of three hospitals and 41 First Aid Posts in 10 Afghan provinces...

For numerous issues of convenience and acceptability, hair hormone data have been increasingly incorporated in the field of war trauma and forced displacement, allowing retrospective examination of several biological metrics thought to covary with refugees' mental health. As a relatively new research method, however, there remain several complexities and uncertainties surrounding the use of hair hormones, from initial hair sampling to final statistical analysis, many of which are underappreciated in the extant literature, and restrict the potential utility of hair hormones...

To advance intervention science dedicated to improve refugees' mental health, a better understanding of factors of risk and resilience involved in the etiology and maintenance of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is needed. In the present study, we tested whether empathy and compassion, two trainable aspects of social cognition related to health, would modulate risk for PTSD after war-related trauma. Fifty-six refugees and 42 migrants from Arabic-speaking countries reported on their trauma experiences, PTSD symptoms, and perceived trait empathy and compassion...

INTRODUCTION: The experiences of providers and immigrants/refugees related to healthcare in the Latin American context have not yet been aggregated. This study aimed to synthesize the qualitative evidence on this theme. METHOD: A systematic review of qualitative evidence with meta-synthesis. After identification, eligible studies were evaluated for methodological quality, and information was systematically analyzed. RESULTS: The sample comprised 26 articles...

Russia's invasion of Ukraine contributed one of the largest migration movements in the 21st century. Refugees may become a source of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infections for the residents of host countries. The study aim was to assess knowledge and preventive practices regarding coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among Ukrainian refugees in Poland. The cross-sectional study was conducted between March and April 2022 among Ukrainian refugees registering consecutively in Zielona Góra, Poland...

The article presents review of empirical social medical and sociological studies of mental health of Russians in "post-pandemic" (2022 - first half of 2023). The purpose of the study is to generalize results of corresponding studies. The review covers the articles in national scientific journals indexed in the RSCI, the results of monitoring surveys carried out by both all-Russian research organizations handling analysis of public opinion and by Federal research and educational organizations. The criteria of selection of studies included the study field stage was implemented in January 2022 - June 2023; sociological survey technique was applied; the study object was whole population of the Russian Federation or its subject or a separate social group...