Gross Neila, Tarnas Maia C, Sayeeda Rashmina J, Ching Carly, Flynn David, Zaman Muhammad H
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
Department of Population Health and Disease Prevention, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
J Migr Health. 2025 Jun 27;12:100341. doi: 10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100341. eCollection 2025.
Infectious disease research is essential for disease prevention and management within refugee camps and informal settlements. The objective of this study is to identify the characteristics of existing infectious disease research in these settings and to assess stated research challenges, ethical considerations, and studied interventions within these studies.
This is a systematic review of forty primary studies focused on infectious disease research conducted among displaced populations. Included studies are published in English between 1995 and 2023. Three databases were searched, PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science, and this review was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023461567). The risk of bias of the studies was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool.
85 % of studies ( = 34) researched an intervention for infectious disease prevention or control and 70 % of studies ( = 28) were randomized controlled trials. 75 % of studies were located in Bangladesh ( = 15) or Pakistan ( = 15). 40 % of studies focused on diarrheal diseases ( = 16) and 28 % on malaria ( = 11). Common identified research challenges included population mobility, limited external validity, and low recruitment. No studies included the community in the initial study conception or investigated the research impact on the community. Community involvement was often through community health workers (45 %). Of the 18 studies that studied a resource-based intervention, 20 % explicitly noted that the intervention was unsustainable.
While guidelines for conducting research in displaced settings exist, there are gaps in their utilization. We identified a disconnect between where displaced individuals reside and where research is conducted, as well as a prioritization of particular infectious diseases. Researchers identified numerous challenges in conducting research in these settings, though the community was rarely involved in the research. Context-specific considerations and community involvement are vital in research with displaced communities.
Wellcome Trust (Contract Number C-010,656).
传染病研究对于难民营和非正式定居点的疾病预防和管理至关重要。本研究的目的是确定这些环境中现有传染病研究的特征，并评估这些研究中所述的研究挑战、伦理考量和所研究的干预措施。
这是一项对40项侧重于流离失所人群传染病研究的主要研究进行的系统评价。纳入的研究发表于1995年至2023年之间的英文文献。检索了三个数据库，即PubMed、Embase和科学网，并且该评价已在国际系统评价注册库（PROSPERO）注册（注册号CRD42023461567）。使用混合方法评估工具评估研究的偏倚风险。
85%的研究（n = 34）研究了传染病预防或控制的干预措施，70%的研究（n = 28）为随机对照试验。75%的研究位于孟加拉国（n = 15）或巴基斯坦（n = 15）。40%的研究聚焦于腹泻病（n = 16），28%聚焦于疟疾（n = 11）。确定的常见研究挑战包括人群流动性、外部效度有限和招募率低。没有研究在初始研究构思中纳入社区，也没有研究调查研究对社区的影响。社区参与通常通过社区卫生工作者进行（45%）。在18项研究基于资源的干预措施的研究中，20%明确指出该干预措施不可持续。
虽然存在关于在流离失所环境中开展研究的指南，但其应用存在差距。我们发现流离失所者居住的地方与开展研究的地方之间存在脱节，以及对特定传染病的优先排序。研究人员在这些环境中开展研究时发现了许多挑战，尽管社区很少参与研究。针对具体情况的考量和社区参与在对流离失所社区的研究中至关重要。
惠康信托基金会（合同编号C - 010,六五六） 。 （注：原文中“C-010,656”中的“六”可能有误，推测应为阿拉伯数字“6”，这里按原文翻译）
