Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Apr 2;24(1):945.
doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-18395-z.

A scoping review of post-earthquake healthcare for vulnerable groups of the 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquakes

Joseph Kimuli Balikuddembe  1   2 , Jan D Reinhardt  3   4   5   6 , Ghanbari Vahid  7 , Baofeng Di  3   8
Affiliations

A scoping review of post-earthquake healthcare for vulnerable groups of the 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquakes

Joseph Kimuli Balikuddembe et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Identifying healthcare services and also strengthening the healthcare systems to effectively deliver them in the aftermath of large-scale disasters like the 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquakes, especially for vulnerable groups cannot be emphasized enough. This study aimed at identifying the interventions undertaken or proposed for addressing the health needs or challenges of vulnerable groups immediately after the occurrence of the 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquakes, as well as for prioritizing their healthcare service delivery in the post-Turkey-Syria earthquake.

Methods: In this scoping review compiled with the five steps of the Arksey and O'Malley framework, five databases, including PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, OVID, and Google Scholar, were searched for studies published between March and April 2023 in line with the eligibility criteria. Interventions for enhancing post-earthquake healthcare services (PEHS) were grouped into seven (7) categories, adopted from previous guidelines and studies. Each one was assigned a default score of a value equal to one (1), which, in the end, was summed up.

Results: Of the 115 total records initially screened, 29 articles were eligible for review. Different interventions they reported either undertaken or proposed to address the healthcare needs and challenges, especially faced by the most vulnerable groups in the aftermath of the Turkey-Syria earthquakes, were categorized into 7 PEHS. They were ranked with their scores as follows: humanitarian health relief (25); medical care (17); mental health and psychosocial support (10); health promotion, education, and awareness (9); disease surveillance and prevention (7); disability rehabilitation (7); and sexual and reproductive health (5).

Conclusion: Since there are no proper guidelines or recommendations about the specific or most significant PEHS to prioritize for vulnerable groups after the occurrence of large-scale earthquakes, this scoping review provides some insights that can help inform healthcare service delivery and prioritization for vulnerable groups in the post-2023 Turkey-Syria earthquakes and other similar disasters.

Keywords: Healthcare; Post-earthquake; Scoping review; Turkey-Syria earthquakes; Vulnerable groups.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The search strategy that was followed in the scoping review
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
A flow chart illustrating the processes that were involved in this scoping review
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. British Red Cross. The latest news on the earthquakes in Turkey (Turkey) and Syria. Turkey (Turkey) and Syria earthquake: three months on 2023 [Accessed May 2023].
    1. Al-Tarazi E. The Major Gulf of the Aqaba Earthquake, 22 November 1995– maximum intensity distribution. Nat Hazards. 2000;22:17–27. doi: 10.1023/A:1008109810031. - DOI
    1. Moro M, Cannelli V, Chini M et al. The October 23, 2011, Van (Turkey) earthquake and its relationship with neighbouring structures. Scientific reports. 2014; 4(3959). - PMC - PubMed
    1. 2023 Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP), Turkey-Syria E. 2023 April 24, 2023. Accessed May 2023 from: https://disasterphilanthropy.org/disasters/2023-turkey-syria-earthquake/.
    1. World Bank. Global Rapid Post-Disaster Damage Estimation (GRADE) Report, in February 6, 2023 Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes Turkey Report. Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery. Washington DC.

Publication types