Caring for Refugee Children

Abstract

Managing the medical, developmental, and psychosocial needs of children and adolescents in the resettled refugee population is a complex task. Primary care clinicians who encounter these patients after their arrival to the United States must be familiar with their unique customs and common illnesses as well as the barriers to health-care access that these populations face. AUTHOR DISCLOSURE Drs Seery, Boswell, and Lara have disclosed no financial relationships relevant to this article. This commentary does not contain a discussion of an unapproved/investigative use of a commercial product/device.

Pediatric care during a short-term medical mission to a Syrian refugee camp in Northern Jordan

“…Research helps nongovernmental organizations like SAMS set priorities, anticipate challenges, and deliver better health care. Refugee children are known to face a wide array of health problems,[ 7 ] but the literature provides limited insight into health care for Syrian refugees living in Jordan. Government reports suggest an increased prevalence for tuberculosis, measles, and cutaneous Leishmaniasis;[ 5 ] there has also been concern for potential resurgence of polio from an outbreak in neighboring Syria,[ 8 ] and drug-resistant bacterial infection in the war wounded.…”

Healthcare without borders: A cross-sectional study of immigrant and nonimmigrant children admitted to a large public sector hospital in the Gauteng Province of South Africa

“…Language and communication barriers, as well as unfamiliar healthcare services and fear of deportation, all play a crucial role in creating barriers to healthcare access. The use of qualified interpreters, often unavailable in the SA healthcare setting, is necessary for adequate care of immigrant children, as lack of language support has been identified as a common barrier to healthcare success with an increased risk of medical errors and decreased patient satisfaction [9,10].…”

“…Immigrant children may have preexisting health problems, including a potentially high prevalence of infectious diseases, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety [9]. Migrants are also at risk of malnutrition, growth retardation, and developmental delay associated with poor nutrition and other causes [11].…”

“…Immunisation status of immigrant children should be determined, and catch-up immunisation provided, as many of these children may have had limited access to vaccination [9]. In many cases, immunisation records will be lost.…”

“…In many cases, immunisation records will be lost. Other factors that need to be taken into consideration when deciding on which immunisations are needed are possible incomplete or missing health records or severe malnutrition at the time of immunisation, which could impair adequate immune response [9,11]. Immigrants and refugees may import infectious diseases, and many old and new diseases may emerge or reemerge because of immigration.…”