The Resettlement of Central American Men in Canada: From Emotional Distress to Successful Integration

Stress associated with immigration, particularly forced migration, may aggravate men’s emotional distress and reluctance to seek help. This qualitative study of Central American immigrant and refugee men explored the process of coping with distress during resettlement. “Losing the way,” a common theme of resettlement, was frequently a solitary struggle accompanied by anxiety, depression, and/or abusive behaviours. “Finding the way,” grieving socio-cultural losses and seeking help, became possible when participants were able to accept responsibility for their behaviour. The role of “belonging” (support groups, jobs, family obligations) was a key motivating factor in the process of accepting responsibility and personal change.Le stress associé à l’immigration, en particulier à l’immigration forcée, peut aggraver la détresse émotionnelle des hommes et accentuer leur répugnance à rechercher de l’aide. Cette étude qualitative d’hommes immigrants et réfugiés provenant des pays de l’Amérique centrale explore comment les intéressés arrivent à se débrouiller et à faire face à leur situation. « Perdre la voie », un thème commun en matière de réinstallation, s’avère être souvent une lutte solitaire accompagnée d’angoisse et de dépression, avec ou non des comportements violents. « Trouver la voie », c.à-d. pleurer les pertes socioculturelles et rechercher de l’aide devint possible seulement lorsque les participants furent capables de prendre la responsabilité de leurs propres comportements. Le sens d’appartenance (groupes de soutien, emplois, responsabilités familiales) joua un rôle capital dans le processus de responsabilisation personnelle

How do Ontario family medicine residents perform on global health competencies? A multi-institutional survey

Background: There is an increased interest in global health among medical students, family medicine residents, and medical educators. This paper is based on research to assess confidence in knowledge and skills in global health in family medicine residents in five universities across Ontario. Methods: A web based survey was sent to 166 first-year family medicine residents from five universities within Ontario. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze residents’ confidence in their knowledge and skills in global health. The strength of association between each of the self-perceived knowledge and skills variables was assessed by the Spearman correlation coefficient.  Results: The response rate ranged from 29% to 66% across the five universities. Self-perceived knowledge scores revealed that 34.3% of the respondents were very confident, 51.9% were somewhat confident, and 13.8% were not at all confident about their global health knowledge. Participants' confidence scores were lower in relation to knowledge of access to health care for low income nations (44.3%), and were better on their global health skills related to working in a team (70.9%) and listening actively to patients' concerns (64.6%). Conclusions: The global health competency scale has identified key areas of strengths and weaknesses of family medicine programs in global health education. This can be used to evaluate and analyze progress over time

Effectiveness of home-based records on maternal, newborn and child health outcomes: A systematic review and metaanalysis

Abstract : Home-based records (HBRs) may improve the health of pregnant women, new mothers and their children, and support health care systems. We assessed the effectiveness of HBRs on maternal, newborn and child health reporting, care seeking and self-care practice, mortality, morbidity and women’s empowerment in low-, middle- and high-income countries. We con- ducted a systematic search in MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, Health Systems Evidence, CINAHL, HTA database, NHS EED, and DARE from 1950 to 2017. We also searched the WHO, CDC, ECDC, JICA and UNAIDS. We included randomised controlled trials, prospec- tive controlled trials, and cost-effectiveness studies. We used the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool to appraise studies. We extracted and analyzed data for outcomes including maternal, new- born and child health, and women’s empowerment. We synthesized and presented data using GRADE Evidence Profiles. We included 14 studies out of 16,419 identified articles. HBRs improved antenatal care and reduced likelihood of pregnancy complications; improved patient–provider communication and enhanced women’s feelings of control and empower- ment; and improved rates of vaccination among children (OR: 2�39, 95% CI: 1.45–3�92) and mothers (OR 1�98 95% CI:1�29–3�04). A three-year follow-up shows that HBRs reduced risk of cognitive delay in children (p = 0.007). HBRs used during the life cycle of women and chil- dren in Indonesia showed benefits for continuity of care. There were no significant effects on healthy pregnancy behaviors such as smoking and consumption of alcohol during preg- nancy. There were no statistically significant effects on newborn health outcomes. We did not identify any formal studies on cost or economic evaluation. HBRs show modest but important health effects for women and children. These effects with minimal-to-no harms, multiplied across a population, could play an important role in reducing health inequities in maternal, newborn, and child health. PLO

Understanding women's, caregivers', and providers' experiences with home-based records : A systematic review of qualitative studies

Abstract: Mothers, caregivers, and healthcare providers in 163 countries have used paper and electronic home-based records (HBRs) to facilitate primary care visit. These standardized records have the potential to empower women, improve the quality of care for mothers and children and reduce health inequities. This review examines experiences of women, caregivers and providers with home-based records for maternal and child health and seeks to explore the feasibility, acceptability, affordability and equity of these interventions. We systematically searched MEDLINE, MEDLINE In-Process, MEDLINE Ahead of Print, Embase, CINAHL, ERIC, and PsycINFO for articles that were published between January 1992 and December 2017. We used the CASP checklist to assess study quality, a framework analysis to support synthesis, and GRADE-CERQual to assess the confidence in the key findings. Of 7,904 citations, 19 studies met our inclusion criteria. In these studies, mothers, caregivers and children shared HBR experiences in relation to maternal and child health which facilitated the monitoring of immunisations and child growth and development..

Bibliometric analysis of global migration health research in peer-reviewed literature (2000-2016).

BACKGROUND: The health of migrants has become an important issue in global health and foreign policy. Assessing the current status of research activity and identifying gaps in global migration health (GMH) is an important step in mapping the evidence-base and on advocating health needs of migrants and mobile populations. The aim of this study was to analyze globally published peer-reviewed literature in GMH. METHODS: A bibliometric analysis methodology was used. The Scopus database was used to retrieve documents in peer-reviewed journals in GMH for the study period from 2000 to 2016. A group of experts in GMH developed the needed keywords and validated the final search strategy. RESULTS: The number of retrieved documents was 21,457. Approximately one third (6878; 32.1%) of the retrieved documents were published in the last three years of the study period. In total, 5451 (25.4%) documents were about refugees and asylum seekers, while 1328 (6.2%) were about migrant workers, 440 (2.1%) were about international students, 679 (3.2%) were about victims of human trafficking/smuggling, 26 (0.1%) were about patients' mobility across international borders, and the remaining documents were about unspecified categories of migrants. The majority of the retrieved documents (10,086; 47.0%) were in psychosocial and mental health domain, while 2945 (13.7%) documents were in infectious diseases, 6819 (31.8%) documents were in health policy and systems, 2759 (12.8%) documents were in maternal and reproductive health, and 1918 (8.9%) were in non-communicable diseases. The contribution of authors and institutions in Asian countries, Latin America, Africa, Middle East, and Eastern European countries was low. Literature in GMH represents the perspectives of high-income migrant destination countries. CONCLUSION: Our heat map of research output shows that despite the ever-growing prominence of human mobility across the globe, and Sustainable Development Goals of leaving no one behind, research output on migrants' health is not consistent with the global migration pattern. A stronger evidence base is needed to enable authorities to make evidence-informed decisions on migration health policy and practice. Research collaboration and networks should be encouraged to prioritize research in GMH

Interventions to Improve Vaccination Uptake and Cost Effectiveness of Vaccination Strategies in Newly Arrived Migrants in the EU/EEA: A Systematic Review

Newly arrived migrants to the EU/EEA (arrival within the past five years), as well as other migrant groups in the region, might be under-immunised and lack documentation of previous vaccinations, putting them at increased risk of vaccine-preventable diseases circulating in Europe. We therefore performed a systematic review conforming to PRISMA guidelines (PROSPERO CRD42016045798) to explore: (i) interventions that improve vaccine uptake among migrants; and (ii) cost-effectiveness of vaccination strategies among this population. We searched MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR) between 1 January 2006 to 18 June 2018. We included three primary intervention studies performed in the EU/EEA or high-income countries and one cost effectiveness study relevant to vaccinations in migrants. Intervention studies showed small but promising impact only on vaccine uptake with social mobilization/community outreach, planned vaccination programs and education campaigns. Targeting migrants for catch-up vaccination is cost effective for presumptive vaccination for diphtheria, tetanus, and polio, and there was no evidence of benefit of carrying out pre-vaccination serological testing. The cost-effectiveness is sensitive to the seroprevalence and adherence to vaccinations of the migrant. We conclude that scarce but direct EU/EEA data suggest social mobilization, vaccine programs, and education campaigns are promising strategies for migrants, but more research is needed. Research should also study cost effectiveness of strategies. Vaccination of migrants should continue to be a public heath priority in EU/EEA

A province-wide survey on self-reported language proficiency and its influence in global health education

Objective Literature has reported that language is the most common barrier in a health care setting and a risk factor associated with negative outcomes. The present study reports the differences between nursing students who speak one language and nursing students who speak two or more languages (self-reported language proficiency) and their skills and learning needs in global health.Method An observational cross-sectional study was performed among nursing students from five Ontario universities. A survey was designed to measure knowledge, skills and learning needs in global health.Results Students who speak more than two languages are more likely to have more interest in learning global health issues, such as health risks and their association with travel and migration (p=0.44), and social determinants of health (p=0.042).Conclusion Language training is needed for nursing students to be able to face language barriers in health care settings and improve global health, locally and internationally.Objetivo De acuerdo con la literatura, el idioma es el obstáculo más común en el contexto de la atención médica y un factor de riesgo asociado con resultados negativos. El objetivo de este estudio es presentar las diferencias percibidas entre los estudiantes de enfermería que hablan un idioma y aquellos que hablan dos o más (competencia lingüística reportada por ellos mismos) y sus habilidades y necesidades de aprendizaje en salud global.Método Estudio observacional de corte transversal entre estudiantes de enfermería de cinco universidades de Ontario. Se diseñó una encuesta para medir el conocimiento, las habilidades y las necesidades de aprendizaje en salud global.Resultados Se observó que los estudiantes que hablan más de dos idiomas tienen mayor probabilidad de interesarse más en aprender sobre problemas de salud global, los riesgos para la salud y su asociación con los viajes y la migración (p=0,44), así como sobre los determinantes sociales de la salud (p=0,042).Conclusión Es necesario que se brinde capacitación en aprendizaje de otros idiomas a los estudiantes de enfermería para que puedan afrontar las barreras impuestas por el lenguaje en los contextos de atención médica y mejorar la salud global, de manera local e internacional

GRADE equity guidelines 4: guidance on how to assess and address health equity within the evidence to decision process

Objective: The aim of this paper is to provide detailed guidance on how to incorporate health equity within the GRADE (Grading Recommendations Assessment and Development Evidence) evidence to decision process. Study design and setting: We developed this guidance based on the GRADE evidence to decision (EtD) framework, iteratively reviewing and modifying draft documents, in person discussion of project group members and input from other GRADE members. Results: Considering the impact on health equity may be required, both in general guidelines, and guidelines that focus on disadvantaged populations. We suggest two approaches to incorporate equity considerations: 1) assessing the potential impact of interventions on equity and; 2) incorporating equity considerations when judging or weighing each of the evidence to decision criteria. We provide guidance and include illustrative examples. Conclusion: Guideline panels should consider the impact of recommendations on health equity with attention to remote and underserviced settings and disadvantaged populations. Guideline panels may wish to incorporate equity judgments across the evidence to decision framework

Assessing and Comparing Global Health Competencies in Rehabilitation Students

Purpose. Globalization is contributing to changes in health outcomes and healthcare use in many ways, including health professionals' practices. The objective of this study was to assess and compare global health competencies in rehabilitation students. Method. Online cross-sectional survey of physiotherapy and occupational therapy students from five universities within Ontario. We used descriptive statistics to analyze students' perceived knowledge, skills, and learning needs in global health. We used Chi-square tests, with significance set at P < 0.05, to compare results across professions. Results. One hundred and sixty-six students completed the survey. In general, both physiotherapy and occupational therapy students scored higher on the “relationship between work and health,” “relationship between income and health,” and “socioeconomic position (SEP) and impact on health” and lower on “Access to healthcare for low income nations,” “mechanisms for why racial and ethnic disparities exist,” and “racial stereotyping and medical decision making.” Occupational therapy students placed greater importance on learning concerning social determinants of health (P = 0.03). Conclusion. This paper highlights several opportunities for improvement in global health education for rehabilitation students. Educators and professionals should consider developing strategies to address these needs and provide more global health opportunities in rehabilitation training programs