RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Neurologic Care of Forcibly Displaced Persons: Emerging Issues in Neurology
JF Neurology
JO Neurology
FD Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
SP 10.1212/WNL.0000000000206857
DO 10.1212/WNL.0000000000206857
A1 Farrah J. Mateen
A1 Ibrahem Hanafi
A1 Gretchen L. Birbeck
A1 Altaf Saadi
A1 Erich Schmutzhard
A1 Jo M Wilmshurst
A1 MRCPaed FCPaed
A1 Amy Bennett
A1 Lyell K. Jones
YR 2023
UL http://n.neurology.org/content/early/2023/03/09/WNL.0000000000206857.abstract
AB There is a growing number of forcibly displaced persons (FDPs) worldwide. With more than 100 million people forcibly displaced today, there is an urgent mandate to understand the neurologic care needs of this population and how neurologists and other health care workers can most effectively provide that care. In this Emerging Issues in Neurology article, we attempt to: (1) define the scope of the problem of providing neurologic care to FDPs, (2) highlight commonly encountered clinical challenges related to neurologic care of FDPs, and (3) provide useful clinical information for neurologists and other clinicians who deliver care to FDPs with neurologic needs. We address the terminology of forcible displacement and how terms may differ across a person’s migration journey.Common challenges encountered by FDPs with neurologic needs across settings include loss of support systems, loss of personal health information, language barriers and differing expression of symptoms, differing belief systems, epidemiological patterns of disease unfamiliar to the clinician, and patients’ fear and perceived risks of engaging with health systems. Practical approaches are shared for clinicians who encounter an FDP with a neurologic presentation. Finally, the article discusses many unmet neurologic needs of FDPs, which require significant investment. These include addressing lapses in neurologic care during displacement and understanding the effects of forcible displacement on people with chronic neurologic conditions. Future research and educational resources should focus on improving epidemiological intelligence for neurologic conditions across geographies, developing curricula for optimizing the neurological care of FDPs, and evaluating the most appropriate and effective uses of health technologies in humanitarian settings.