Evidence-based clinical guidelines for immigrants and refugees

CMAJ. 2011. Vol. 183. No. 12. P. E824–E925.

Pottie K., Greenaway C., Feightner J., Welch V., Swinkels H., Rashid M., Narasiah L., Kirmayer L. J., Ueffing E., MacDonald N. E., Hassan G., McNally M., Khan K., Buhrmann R., Dunn S., Dominic A., McCarthy A. E., Gagnon A. J., Rousseau C., Tugwell P., Jurcik T.

• Clinical preventive care should be informed by the person’s region or country of origin and migration history (e.g., forced versus voluntary migration). • Forced migration, low income and limited proficiency in English or French increase the risk of a decline in health and should be considered in the assessment and delivery of preventive care. • Vaccination (against measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, varicella, hepatitis B and human papillomavirus) and screening (for hepatitis B, tuberculosis, HIV, hepatitis C, intestinal parasites, iron deficiency, dental pain, loss of vision and cervical cancer) should be routinely provided to at-risk immigrants. • Detecting and addressing malaria, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, child maltreatment, intimate partner violence, diabetes mellitus and unmet contraceptive needs should be individualized to improve detection, adherence and treatment outcomes.

Keywords: immigrants, clinical guidelines, refugees, Clinical preventive care