Evidence Aid bulletin: 7 September 2022

Please find below Evidence Aid’s September 2022 bulletin, containing shortened versions of three of our recent summaries. Please forward this to others who might be interested. Anyone who would like to receive these monthly bulletins directly should contact Jane Copsey (info@evidenceaid.org) and questions about our work can be sent to Claire Allen (callen@evidenceaid.org).

Community-based mental health interventions for refugee children and adolescents in high-income countries. Citation: Soltan F, et al. Community‐based interventions for improving mental health in refugee children and adolescents in high‐income countries. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2022;(5):CD013657.

A large proportion of refugee children and adolescents suffer mental health problems and community-based interventions might help, but there has been relatively little research into their effects. The February 2021 search for this Cochrane Review found just three randomised trials and the review authors concluded that research from the broader field of global mental health is needed to provide insights into what works and for whom, and that care needs to be taken when interpreting evidence from other settings or populations. They suggested that policy makers, those implementing mental health support interventions for refugee children and academics should evaluate the effects of these interventions. (Full summary available in our Resilient Health Systems and Health of Refugees and Asylum Seekers collections.)

Incidence of infectious diseases after earthquakes. Citation: Najafi S, et al. Incidence of infectious diseases after earthquakes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Public Health. 2022;202:131-8. (Note – not open access.)

Earthquakes can lead to many adverse health consequences, and this review shows how the overall incidence of infectious diseases increases after an earthquake, based on studies published before March 2020. The authors found that gastrointestinal (mainly hepatitis and diarrhoea), dermatologic (mainly leishmaniasis) and respiratory diseases were the most common infectious diseases that increased after an earthquake. They concluded that governments should have adequate plans to prevent infectious disease outbreaks before and after disasters, including vaccination provision and adequate emergency health services before the disaster, and adequate shelters, clean water, sufficient food supplies and a reliable health system immediately after the disaster. (Full summary available in our Earthquakes and Resilient Health Systems collections.)

Hospital preparedness measures for biological hazards. Citation: Dowlati M, et al. Hospital Preparedness Measures for Biological Hazards: A Systematic Review and Meta-Synthesis. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness. 2021;15(6):790-803. (Note – not open access.)

Being prepared to adequately handle biological hazards is an important aspect of hospital preparedness for emergencies and disasters. Hospital preparedness for biological hazards includes the need for both administrative and management measures and for specialized and logistical measures. However, the studies identified in the searches for this review in June 2019 showed that hospitals were generally not prepared to manage biological hazards or protect victims and personnel. Some of the administrative and management measures that are needed include planning for hospital preparedness and development of a hospital incident command systems, while specialized measures include early detection and surveillance and diagnostic laboratories and logistical measures include increasing capability, supplies and equipment. (Full summary available in our Resilient Health Systems and Managing Physical Injuries collections.)

If you would like to sign up for Evidence Aid newsletters and bulletins, please contact info@evidenceaid.org.