Healthcare challenges from the developing world: post-immigration refugee medicine

Summary points The complex medical needs of refugees are often unmet owing to inadequate training of healthcare providers Medical problems include infectious diseases, psychiatric disorders, and complications from ritual female genital surgery Symptoms of infectious diseases and history of exposure to trauma and ritual female genital surgery should be sought in the medical history Routine laboratory screening for infectious diseases may detect parasites, sexually transmitted infections, hepatitis, and tuberculosis Further information on post-traumatic stress disorder, somatisation, and ritual female genital surgery may enable physicians to care better for refugees