Abstract
Introduction
The aim of this study was to compare the distribution and frequency of forensic medical
events in a refugee group with that of the general population, and thus, extrapolate
the problems encountered in the immigrant population.
Methods
Those cases admitted to the emergency department (ED) for any reason that required
a forensic examination between January 2016 and June 2018 were investigated retrospectively.
Results
A total of 310 refugees were admitted to the ED for forensic medical events. The most
common nations of origin of the refugees were Iraq (n = 167), Syria (n = 65), and
Afghanistan (n = 28). The median age of the refugees was 24 years old (interquartile
range = 17–33). With regard to forensics, the most common reasons for the refugees
to present to the ED were motor vehicle accidents 27.4%, assaults 25.8%, employment
and industrial accidents 16.1%, and suicide attempts 10.3%. Other than suicide attempts,
all of the forensic presentations were more common in the males. The outcomes of the
refugee group were as follows: 92.3% were discharged, 5.8% were admitted to the hospital,
1% were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), and 1% were transferred. Suicide
attempts were the most common reasons for the ICU admissions, while the most common
reasons for the hospital admissions were orthopedic injuries.
Conclusion
In general, the forensic event frequency in the refugee group was lower (p = 0.001);
however, this was a single center study, and there could have been unrecorded cases
due to an inability to access healthcare assistance, so these results may not be reliable.
Keywords
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Article Info
Publication History
Published online: December 08, 2018
Accepted:
December 8,
2018
Received in revised form:
October 19,
2018
Received:
October 5,
2018
Identification
Copyright
© 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.