Current infectious disease research practices with forcibly displaced people in the top ten low- and middle-income host countries: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Infectious disease research is essential for disease prevention and management within refugee camps and informal settlements. We aim to assess the state of infectious disease research with displaced communities in the top ten refugee-hosting low- and middle-income countries. We searched three journal databases for primary research that explicitly included refugees or was conducted in a refugee camp, informal settlement, or displaced people-serving hospital and focused directly on an infectious disease following PRISMA guidelines. Forty studies (out of 1,179) met the inclusion criteria. Common research challenges included population mobility, limited external validity, and low recruitment. No studies included the community in the initial study conception or investigated the research impact on the community. Community involvement was often through community health workers (45%). Of the 18 studies that studied a resource-based intervention, 20% explicitly noted that the intervention was unsustainable. Such context-specific considerations are vital in research with displaced communities.