Pediatric Healthcare Utilization in a Large Cohort of Refugee Children Entering Western Europe During the Migrant Crisis

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Georg MN Behrens¹  Reinhold E Schmidt¹  Alexandra Jablonka¹  Diana Ernst¹  Nele Hillermann²  Frank Müller²  Evelyn Kleinert²  Christine Happle³  Christian Dopfer³  Martin Wetzke³  Annabelle Vakilzadeh⁴  Susanne Hellms⁵  Iro Evlampidou⁶ 

[1] Department of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany;Department of General Practice, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany;Department of Pediatric Pneumology, Allergology, and Neonatology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany;Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany;Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany;MediPIET, 5 Madrid, Spain;

关键词: children;    pediatrics;    healthcare;    migration;    refugee;    primary care;    adolescents;    migrant;    health care;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph16224415

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

: Background: Currently, half of the population displaced worldwide is children and adolescents. Little is known on healthcare demand in underage migrants. Materials and Methods: We analyzed healthcare utilization in n = 1.411 children and adolescents living in a large German refugee reception in 2015-2016. Results: The mean age of all included refugees was 9 years (60.8% male). The majority came from the eastern Mediterranean region. During a mean camp inhabitance of 34 days, 57.6% needed primary healthcare, with a significant inverse correlation of healthcare seeking frequency with age and duration of camp inhabitance. Infants and unaccompanied minors displayed particular high demands for medical help. Discussion: Our analysis showed that pediatric primary healthcare in pediatric and adolescent refugees are most sought during the first period upon arrival with particular demand in infants, toddlers, and unaccompanied minors. Based on this data, future care taking strategies should be adapted accordingly.

【 授权许可】

Unknown