Abstract
BackgroundThere are more than 100,000 asylum seekers registered in Germany, who are granted limited access to health services. This study aims to provide a systematic overview of the empirical literature on the health status of and health-care provision to asylum seekers in Germany in order to consolidate knowledge, avoid scientific redundance, and identify research gaps.Methods/designA systematic review and evidence mapping of empirical literature on the health status of and health-care provision to asylum seekers in Germany will be performed. We will apply a three-tiered search strategy: 1. search in databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, IBSS, Sociological s, Worldwide Political Science s, CINAHL, Sowiport, Social Sciences Citation Index, ASSIA, MedPilot, DNB), dissertation and theses databases, and the internet (Google); 2. screening references of included studies; 3. contacting authors and civil society organizations for grey literature. Included will be studies which report quantitative and/or qualitative data or review articles on asylum seekers in Germany, published in German or English language. Outcome measures will include physical, mental, or social well-being, and all aspects of health-care provision (access, availability, affordability, and quality). Search results will be screened for eligibility by screening titles, abstracts and full texts. Data extraction comprises information on study characteristics, research aims, and domains of health or health-care services analyzed. The quality of studies will be appraised and documented by appropriate assessment tools. A descriptive evidence map will be drawn by categorizing all included articles by research design and the health conditions and/or domains of health-care provision analyzed. The body of evidence will be evaluated, and a narrative evidence synthesis will be performed by means of a multi-level approach, whereby quantitative and qualitative evidence are analyzed as separate streams and the product of each stream is configured in a final summary.DiscussionThis systematic review will provide an evidence map and synthesis of available research findings on the health status of and health-care provision to asylum seekers in Germany. In anticipation of identifying areas which are amenable to health-care interventions, deserve immediate action, or further exploration, this review will be of major importance for policy-makers, health-care providers, as well as researchers.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO 2014: CRD42014013043Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/2046-4053-3-139) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
There are more than 100,000 asylum seekers registered in Germany, who are granted limited access to health services
The latest annual Global Trends Report (June 2014) of the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) shows that 51.2 million people were forcibly displaced at the end of 2013 as a result of persecution, conflict, generalized violence, or human rights violations [1]
The huge number of 51.2 million displaced people includes 33.3 million internally displaced people (IDP) and 16.7 million refugees, with more than half (53%) of all refugees worldwide coming from just three countries: Afghanistan, Syria, and Somalia
Summary
There are more than 100,000 asylum seekers registered in Germany, who are granted limited access to health services. In 2013, the number of asylum seekers and internally displaced people (IDP) worldwide exceeded 50 million people—for the first time after World War II. The huge number of 51.2 million displaced people includes 33.3 million IDP and 16.7 million refugees, with more than half (53%) of all refugees worldwide coming from just three countries: Afghanistan, Syria, and Somalia. In addition to refugees and IDP, 1.2 million individuals are estimated to be seeking international protection and whose claim for refugee status has not yet been determined (asylum seekers). The majority (51%) of asylum seekers were registered in industrialized countries, mostly due to political developments in countries of origin, changes in asylum policies, and practices in receiving countries and the fact that some countries are perceived as being more likely to grant refugee status than others [2]
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