Pregnancy Related Health Care Needs in Refugees—A Current Three Center Experience in Europe

Christian Dopfer, Annabelle Vakilzadeh, Christine Happle, Evelyn Kleinert, Frank Müller, Diana Ernst, Reinhold E. Schmidt, Georg M. N. Behrens, Sonja Merkesdal, Martin Wetzke and Alexandra Jablonka
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Christian Dopfer: Department of Pediatric Pneumology, Allergology, and Neonatology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany
Annabelle Vakilzadeh: Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany
Christine Happle: Department of Pediatric Pneumology, Allergology, and Neonatology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany
Evelyn Kleinert: Department of General Practice, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
Frank Müller: Department of General Practice, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
Diana Ernst: Department of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany
Reinhold E. Schmidt: Department of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany
Georg M. N. Behrens: Department of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany
Sonja Merkesdal: Department of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany
Martin Wetzke: Department of Pediatric Pneumology, Allergology, and Neonatology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany
Alexandra Jablonka: Department of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 9, 1-13

Abstract: Background: Immigration into Europe has reached an all-time high. Provision of coordinated healthcare, especially to refugee women that are at increased risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes, is a challenge for receiving health care systems. Methods: We assessed pregnancy rates and associated primary healthcare needs in three refugee cohorts in Northern Germany during the current crisis. Results: Out of n = 2911 refugees, 18.0% were women of reproductive age, and 9.1% of these were pregnant. Pregnancy was associated with a significant, 3.7-fold increase in primary health care utilization. Language barrier and cultural customs impeded healthcare to some refugee pregnant women. The most common complaints were demand for pregnancy checkup without specific symptoms (48.6%), followed by abdominal pain or urinary tract infections (in 11.4% of cases each). In 4.2% of pregnancies, severe complications such as syphilis or suicide attempts occurred. Discussion: We present data on pregnancy rates and pregnancy associated medical need in three current refugee cohorts upon arrival in Germany. Healthcare providers should be particularly aware of the requirements of pregnant migrants and should adapt primary caretaking strategies accordingly.

Keywords: pregnancy; migration; refugees; health care provision; reception center (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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