Τίτλος:
Demographic and clinical characteristics of refugees seeking primary healthcare services in Greece in the period 2015-2016: A descriptive study
Γλώσσες Τεκμηρίου:
Αγγλικά
Περίληψη:
Background: In 2015-2016, more than a million refugees entered Greece. Along with other organizations, PRAKSIS, a local non-governmental organization, deployed mobile medical units on three islands and in temporary settlements in Athens. Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study aimed at analysing the demographic and clinical characteristics of the population (n=6688) that received services from PRAKSIS between October 2015 and June 2016 in different locations (islands of Samos, Kos and Leros in the southeastern Aegean Sea and on the mainland at Athens-Piraeus Port Gate E) before and after the closure of European borders in March 2016. Results: The majority (88%) of the population came from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. Among them, 53% were women and children. Infectious diseases decreased as the population moved from the islands to the Athens-Piraeus Port, while all other disease categories increased in relative frequency, the difference being statistically significant (p<0.05). Among all consultations, dental and oral cavity health complaints also increased in the Athens-Piraeus Port, but failed to reach statistical significance (p=0.11). Referrals from the mobile health units to specialist care rose from 4.2% of all patients clinically examined on the islands to 9.9% in the Athens-Piraeus Port, and the difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusions: More research and systematic data collection are needed to inform appropriate policies for the humanitarian challenges posed by the recent refugee and migrant waves in Europe. © The Author(s) 2018.
Συγγραφείς:
Kakalou, E.
Riza, E.
Chalikias, M.
Voudouri, N.
Vetsika, A.
Tsiamis, C.
Choursoglou, S.
Terzidis, A.
Karamagioli, E.
Antypas, T.
Pikoulis, E.
Περιοδικό:
International Health
Εκδότης:
Oxford University Press
Λέξεις-κλειδιά:
adult; Afghanistan; anemia; Article; cross-sectional study; demography; dental health; descriptive research; female; Greece; health care delivery; health care policy; health care utilization; health service; help seeking behavior; human; infection; injury; Iraq; louse; major clinical study; male; malnutrition; medical specialist; mental health; musculoskeletal disease; patient referral; population research; prevalence; priority journal; refugee; reproductive health; scabies; skin disease; substance abuse; Syrian Arab Republic; adolescent; aged; child; communicable disease; dental procedure; epidemiology; ethnology; Greece; infant; middle aged; Middle East; newborn; patient attitude; preschool child; preventive health service; primary health care; refugee; socioeconomics; statistics and numerical data; supply and distribution; very elderly; young adult, Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Child; Child, Preschool; Communicable Diseases; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dental Care; Female; Greece; Health Services Accessibility; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Male; Middle Aged; Middle East; Mobile Health Units; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; Primary Health Care; Referral and Consultation; Refugees; Socioeconomic Factors; Young Adult
DOI:
10.1093/inthealth/ihy042
