Chronic Disease Management in Refugees

Abstract

The current chapter focuses on the chronic disease management in refugees. The United States accounts for nearly 75 % of all permanently settled refugees worldwide. Most recently, 65 % of refugees resettling in the United States originate from Iraq, Burma, and Bhutan. Of the refugees being tested within the first 8 months of arrival, 51.1 % had some chronic disease and 18.4 % had two or more. Such prevalence rates support the need to address chronic conditions in refugees, but the literature provides little guidance for care of common non-communicable disorders in refugees. The objective of this chapter is to synthesize the medical literature so as to offer clinicians an evidence-based approach for the care of common non-communicable disorders in adult refugees and cite the systems challenges that caregivers face when providing chronic care to refugees. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)