Health needs of Ukrainian war refugees in Europe and beyond: a scoping review
Abstract
The war in Ukraine has caused one of the largest forced migration movements since WWII with 5.9 million Ukrainian refugees globally as of April 2026. Reliable evidence on their health status and needs remains fragmented. This scoping review synthesizes data across health domains and host countries to identify implications for health system preparedness. Following PRISMA-ScR framework, databases were systematically searched, and eligible studies were screened and extracted using predefined criteria. Analysis included 175 articles published from 2022 to July 2024 reporting original data on Ukrainian refugees in Europe, Asia, and North America. For ethical and scientific reasons, studies from Russia or Belarus were excluded. Data were analysed in 4 domains: mental health, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), communicable diseases, and war-related injuries. Mental health was the most frequently reported domain (92/175 studies), covering acute psychological distress related to war trauma and forced migration, adaptation difficulties due to language barriers, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety. NCDs were reported in 63/175 studies, mainly requiring case identification and continuation of treatment, including highly specialized care. Communicable diseases were reported in 84/175 studies with key needs being vaccination gaps and hesitancy, and identification and treatment of HIV, tuberculosis, viral hepatitis, and drug-resistant bacteria. War-related injuries were rarely reported (8/175). With the rapidly growing global displacement, host-country health systems need mechanisms for outreach, screening, referral, and continuity of cross-border care, particularly for mental health, chronic disease management, vaccination, and specialized care. These actions require coordination between host countries and countries of origin from public health data exchange to patient-level practices, accepting foreign medical records and addressing language barriers.
Key messages: • Ukrainian refugee health needs extend beyond emergency care to mental health, chronic disease, vaccination, and specialized treatment.
• Cross-border coordination between receiving and origin countries is essential to ensure continuity of care.
Related
- Beyond coverage: reviewing barriers and facilitators to healthcare access among Ukrainian refugees
- Evaluating the effect of the MindSpring intervention on empowerment among Ukrainian refugees
- A gendered acculturation risk: Tobacco and nicotine use among Ukrainian refugees in Switzerland
- Mammograms and cervical tests among Ukrainian refugees and main population: survey in Estonia, 2024
- Urban–rural maternal care gaps: lessons for equitable resilient health systems in Europe & beyond
BibTeX
@article{bielska2026health,
title = {{Health needs of Ukrainian war refugees in Europe and beyond: a scoping review}},
author = {I Bielska and E Wieczorek and M Savchyna and W Pawlik and A Drabik and H Dhaliwal and B Bhangu and K Pedziwiatr and AR James Ravichandran and I Kowalska-Bobko},
journal = {The European Journal of Public Health},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.1775},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.1775},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Health needs of Ukrainian war refugees in Europe and beyond: a scoping review
AU - I Bielska
AU - E Wieczorek
AU - M Savchyna
AU - W Pawlik
AU - A Drabik
AU - H Dhaliwal
AU - B Bhangu
AU - K Pedziwiatr
AU - AR James Ravichandran
AU - I Kowalska-Bobko
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - The European Journal of Public Health
DO - 10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.1775
UR - https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.1775
AB - The war in Ukraine has caused one of the largest forced migration movements since WWII with 5.9 million Ukrainian refugees globally as of April 2026. Reliable evidence on their health status and needs remains fragmented. This scoping review synthesizes data across health domains and host countries to identify implications for health system preparedness. Following PRISMA-ScR framework, databases were systematically searched, and eligible studies were screened and extracted using predefined criteria. Analysis included 175 articles published from 2022 to July 2024 reporting original data on Ukrainian refugees in Europe, Asia, and North America. For ethical and scientific reasons, studies from Russia or Belarus were excluded. Data were analysed in 4 domains: mental health, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), communicable diseases, and war-related injuries. Mental health was the most frequently reported domain (92/175 studies), covering acute psychological distress related to war trauma and forced migration, adaptation difficulties due to language barriers, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety. NCDs were reported in 63/175 studies, mainly requiring case identification and continuation of treatment, including highly specialized care. Communicable diseases were reported in 84/175 studies with key needs being vaccination gaps and hesitancy, and identification and treatment of HIV, tuberculosis, viral hepatitis, and drug-resistant bacteria. War-related injuries were rarely reported (8/175). With the rapidly growing global displacement, host-country health systems need mechanisms for outreach, screening, referral, and continuity of cross-border care, particularly for mental health, chronic disease management, vaccination, and specialized care. These actions require coordination between host countries and countries of origin from public health data exchange to patient-level practices, accepting foreign medical records and addressing language barriers. Key messages: • Ukrainian refugee health needs extend beyond emergency care to mental health, chronic disease, vaccination, and specialized treatment. • Cross-border coordination between receiving and origin countries is essential to ensure continuity of care.
SN - 1101-1262
SN - 1464-360X
ER -