Evidence Aid newsletter: 19 April 2022
Welcome to the April 2022 newsletter from Evidence Aid. Please forward it to anyone who might be interested. If they would like to receive our newsletters directly, they should contact info@evidenceaid.org.
Would you like to become an Evidence Aid Trustee or Advisor?
We are looking for committed individuals to join our Board of Trustees and provide strategic direction for Evidence Aid or provide expert advice as we increase and expand our evidence collections. If you are interested in either role, please send a brief CV and letter outlining how your skills and experience would benefit Evidence Aid to callen@evidenceaid.org.
Ukraine: In response to the war in the Ukraine, we continue to focus on preparing summaries to add to our Health of Refugees and Asylum Seekers collection. We are also adding summaries for reviews relevant to the physical and mental health consequences of trauma and, if you can help us to identify such reviews, please let us know (callen@evidenceaid.org).
Evidence summaries: Three recently added summaries (all in the Health of Refugees and Asylum Seekers collection) cover:
This review found that migrant and refugee families with limited English proficiency were more satisfied with the care provided when a professional interpreter service or bilingual physician was available. Professional in-person interpreters were also better than telephone interpreter services for satisfaction with care and time spent in the emergency department, and video interpretation improved understanding of the diagnosis compared with telephone interpretation.
Eastern European migrants’ use and experience of UK healthcare services
This review found that limited understanding of the National Health Service (NHS) and language barriers were common challenges for Eastern European migrants trying to access and use healthcare services in the UK. Language barriers, long waiting times, limited access to specialists and not being registered with a general practitioner led some migrants to return to their country of origin to seek health care. Family and social networks were important for overcoming language related-difficulties and helping the migrants to understand the UK healthcare system.
Oral health among refugees in Europe
This review found that oral diseases were more common among refugees than the general population of their host country. Refugees faced challenges in accessing oral healthcare services due to language and financial barriers and limited access to oral health services was also reported in refugee camps. Providing information on oral health and diet in the refugee’s language improved oral health and lowered sugar consumption.
What else?
- We are pleased to welcome Lisa Robinson from BBC Media Action to the Evidence Aid Board of Trustees.
- If you would like to embed our evidence collections in your own website, click the ‘Embed on your website’ button which is at the bottom of all the EvidenceAid.org webpages.
How else can you help?
- We’re planning a series of webinars relating to the use of evidence in the humanitarian sector: get in touch if you have ideas for topics to cover or speakers to invite.
- We’re preparing case studies of how evidence from systematic reviews has changed practice: let us know if you have any examples to share.
Social media: We promote our summaries and the work of Evidence Aid generally through Twitter (@Evidence Aid), Facebook (Evidence Aid – page and group) and Instagram (evidenceaid). Please follow us and share the posts.
Volunteers: Our volunteers provide us with a huge amount of support and contribute to searching, screening and downloading reviews, preparing and writing summaries, providing web support and advising on translations. Their support is vital to our work, and anyone interested in becoming a volunteer for Evidence Aid should email info@evidenceaid.org.
The Evidence Aid team: For information about Evidence Aid staff and interns and our Board of Trustees got to our website.