title: [Systematic review and evidence mapping of empirical studies on health status and medical care among refugees and asylum seekers in Germany (1990-2014)].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Owing to a lack of routine statistics on the health status and medical care of asylum seekers, empirical studies play a major role in the mapping of these aspects.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the research landscape in this area, synthesizing knowledge from empirical studies and identifying evidence gaps.
  
  
  METHODS
  A three-tiered search strategy included searching for empirical studies in national/international databases and on the internet, screening reference lists, and contacting experts. Studies meeting predefined inclusion criteria were thematically organized and described in a narrative synthesis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The searches generated 1,190 hits; 52 articles met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 41 were quantitative studies (78.9 %), 10 qualitative (19.2 %), and 1 was a review (1.9 %). A total of 30 primary articles (58.9 %) analyzed mental health aspects, followed by infectious diseases (n = 12, 23.5 %). Qualitative studies, mainly ethnographies and case studies, explored mental health and social determinants of health, providing evidence for the impact of living conditions on health and medical care. Few studies analyzed chronic diseases (n = 3) or childhood illnesses (n = 6). No studies analyzed the health needs or medical care of asylum-seeking women during pregnancy and child birth. In 62.7 % of the primary studies, a single sampling point was used to recruit asylum seekers. Nationwide external validity was given in two quantitative studies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The priority research areas identified are chronic diseases and childhood and maternal health. The divergency and heterogeneity of the studies hamper a comprehensive and comparable acquisition of knowledgeand emphasize the  need for collaborative research to close the existing evidence gaps.
authors.affiliation: Abteilung Allgemeinmedizin und Versorgungsforschung, Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 130.3, 69120, Heidelberg, Deutschland. kayvan.bozorgmehr@med.uni-heidelberg.de.
authors.forename: Kayvan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bozorgmehr
authors.affiliation: Abteilung Allgemeinmedizin und Versorgungsforschung, Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 130.3, 69120, Heidelberg, Deutschland.
authors.forename: Amir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mohsenpour
authors.affiliation: Institut für Medizinische Biometrie und Informatik (IMBI), Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Deutschland.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Saure
authors.affiliation: Institut für Medizinische Biometrie und Informatik (IMBI), Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Deutschland.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stock
authors.affiliation: Institut für Arbeitsmedizin und Sozialmedizin, Universitätsklinikum Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Deutschland.
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Loerbroks
authors.affiliation: Institut für Allgemeinmedizin und Interprofessionelle Versorgung, Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Tübingen, Deutschland.
authors.forename: Stefanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Joos
authors.affiliation: Abteilung Allgemeinmedizin und Versorgungsforschung, Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 130.3, 69120, Heidelberg, Deutschland.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schneider
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006304:Health Status; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D015995:Prevalence; D012036:Refugees / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014600:Utilization Review; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Asylum seekers; Evidence map; Health status; Medical care; Systematic review