Background Globally, the number of forcibly displaced individuals has reached 70.8 million. Lebanon, a middle income country, hosts the highest number of refugees per capita worldwide. The majority of refugees are Syrians who have fled the Syrian war that started in 2011. The migration journey exposes refugees to increased susceptibility to a wide range of medical issues including non-communicable diseases (NCDs). This study aims to determine the prevalence of NCDs among adult Syrian refugees in Lebanon, with a focus on hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and cancer. The study also aims to explore factors potentially related to the prevalence figures and understand the medication use associated with these morbidities. Methods This study is a secondary analysis of de-identified data from the “Sijilli Electronic Health Records for Refugees” Database comprising data on 10,082 Syrian refugees from across informal tented settlements located all over Lebanon. A total of 3,255 records of Syrian refugees aged above 18 years old and reporting having at least one condition of the following were included in the analysis: hypertension, diabetes, Cardiovascular diseases or cancer. Pearson’s Chi-square, independent t-test, and multivariate logistic regressions were used for data analysis. Results Hypertension was the most prevalent (10.0%) NCD among refugees, and a higher age was associated with higher NCDs prevalence. A strong linkage has been reported between smoking status and alcohol intake, and increased risk for NCDs. Study findings also revealed that the highest prevalence of hypertension, diabetes and CVDs was observed among refugees originating from Idlib, Aleppo and Homs. An association between adherence to medication and location of diagnosis was noted, with females who were diagnosed before moving to Lebanon being more likely to take corresponding medications compared to those diagnosed in Lebanon, with no difference reported among males. Conclusions Our findings suggest that efforts should be directed towards the employment of innovative low-cost approaches for NCD detection and control among refugees, with a focus on the importance of adherence to medication. Such efforts remain imperative to control the increasing burden of NCDs amongst refugee populations and improve equitable access to NCD services.

The world is witnessing an alarming rate of displacement and migration, with more than 70.8 million forcibly displaced individuals, including 26 million refugees. These populations are known to have increased vulnerability and susceptibility to mental and physical health problems due to the migration journey. Access of these individuals to health services, whether during their trajectory of displacement or in refugee-hosting countries, remains limited and challenging due to multiple factors, including language and cultural barriers and unavailability of the refugees’ health records. Cloud-based electronic health records (EHRs) are considered among the top five health technologies integrated in humanitarian crisis preparedness and response during times of conflict. This viewpoint describes the design and implementation of a scalable and innovative cloud-based EHR named Sijilli, which targets refugees in low-resource settings. This paper discusses this solution compared with other similar practices, shedding light on its potential for scalability.

Background:The irrational use of antibiotics is one of the leading causes to antibiotic resistance affecting the public's health. This study aimed at examining the public's knowledge, attitude, and practice in a Southern village of Lebanon.Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted in Haddatha Village-Beint Jbeil in South Lebanon during the month of October 2017. The target population for the survey included Lebanese adults (21 years of age or older) that had been living in the Village for at least the past 3 years.Results: All households were targeted, of whom 91 agreed to participate (86%), within the same household, we surveyed only one member. More than half of the respondents were misinformed about antibiotics usage to treat viral infections (60.4%), almost 30% reported that it cures all infections and 26.4% assumed that they can stop taking the antibiotic before completing the course if their symptoms improved. Half of the respondents (48.4%) conveyed expecting their physicians to prescribe antibiotics to treat common cold. On the other hand, 60% do not usually seek medical care when sick because they think that it is not needed. The results, also, showed that almost 30% take antibiotics without a physician's prescription. Approximately, half of the population reported consuming leftover antibiotics (50.5%), with only 5.6% waiting more than 4 days to start an antibiotic course. Conclusion:This study reflects several misconceptions and poor knowledge regarding antibiotics use, with an exhibition of contentious attitude and practice. Therefore, it is recommended to advocate for policies to control the misuse of antibiotics through public health interventions targeting individuals and their families to limit antibiotic resistance.

UNSTRUCTURED The world is witnessing an alarming rate of displacement and migration with more than 70.8 million forcibly displaced individuals including 26 million refugees. These populations are known to have increased vulnerability and susceptibility to mental and physical health problems due to the migration journey. Access of these individuals to health services whether during their trajectory of displacement or in refugee-hosting countries remains limited and challenging due to multiple factors including, language and cultural barriers, as well as unavailability of the refugees’ health records. Cloud-based Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are considered among the top five health technologies integrated in humanitarian crisis preparedness and response during times of conflict. This viewpoint describes the design and implementation of a scalable and innovative cloud-based EHR named ‘Sijilli’, targeting refugees in low-resource settings. The paper discusses this solution compared to other similar practices, shedding light on its potential for scalability.