Strengthening Health Security at Ground Border Crossings: Key Components for Improved Emergency Preparedness and Response—A Scoping Review

Abstract

Background: Ground crossing borders are considered a threat to health security due to their complex and challenging environments. The objective of this scoping review is to identify the main themes crucial for implementing effective health management at ground crossing borders to maintain health security. Methods: This scoping study was conducted following the methodological framework developed by Arksey and O’Malley and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). Documents published from January 2005 to December 2023 were searched for using PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and UN databases. Two reviewers screened and reviewed eligible studies in three stages: duplicate identification and elimination, title and abstract screening, and full-text assessment. Data were charted and grouped into themes, the frequency of each theme and its percentage was calculated, and then thematic analysis was conducted. Results: Forty-five studies met the inclusion criteria. Areas of research were grouped into eight themes: “Infection Prevention and Control measures (IPC) (17%)”, “Collaboration, Coordination, and Partnership (17%)”, “Research and Data Sharing (15%)”, “Build Border Health Capacity (13.5%)”, “Planning (13.5%)”, “Communication (13%)”, “Legislations and Frameworks (7%)”, and “Services and Assistance for At-Risk Groups (4%)”. Through this scoping review, we found that the eight themes are interconnected, and are crucial for implementing effective health management at the ground crossing borders and for better emergency preparedness responses among countries.