"Often immigrants and refugees are grouped together; however, our team recognizes the complexities and differences between and within immigrant and refugee groups," write the authors. There is significant variability in health risk in immigrants related to exposure to poor water and sanitation, war and trauma, race, gender, socio-economic status, disease risks and co-morbidities and access, or lack of access, to preventative health services.

The guidelines cover broad topics such as women's health, including contraception, pregnancy and cervical cancer screening; mental health, infectious diseases such as hepatitis B, HIV, tuberculosis, anemia, chronic disease, oral and vision health. They provide clinical recommendations for physicians with immigrant and refugee patients.

"Although the recommendations are organized for the sake of clarity into separate sections, primary health care providers should be particularly attentive to the interactions of biological, psychological and social factors contributing to illness, since these interactions may be additive," write the authors of the guidelines.

Source: Canadian Medical Association Journal