447 Understanding the Health Care Needs of Refugees from Ukraine in Southern Poland

Following the 2022 full-scale invasion on Ukraine by Russia, an estimated million people sought refuge in Poland. Although studies were conducted to assess the individuals’ initial health status, little is known about their evolving needs. Thus, this study describes the health care needs among Ukrainian refugees in southern Poland, an important region of their settlement.

Data on emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and outpatient clinic visits (2022, 2023) were examined in the Małopolska Voivodeship. Information on patient characteristics and medical?conditions, categorized using ICD-10 diagnoses, was analyzed.?Furthermore, in-depth interviews were conducted with refugee patients and health care providers (n = 20) to explore access to care.

Changes in patient presentation were observed between 2022 and 2023, including a decrease in emergency department visits and hospitalizations (8,171 and 6,924 vs. 4,820 and 5,329, respectively). Injuries and infections were frequent reasons for seeking care?among children, while for adults, they were non-communicable diseases. Outpatient clinic visits increased from 24,419 to 28,215, with neoplasms and gynecological care being most common. The interviews identified overall satisfaction with the public health care system, but also pointed to certain challenges, including communication barriers, lack of medical documentation, and assistance sought in private clinics geared towards the needs of the refugee-migrant community.

The demographic profile of the refugee population strongly influenced the patterns of health care utilization. The data uncovered the patient pathways, identifying medical services and key provider locations that can be better targeted to improve the migrants’ health care access in the region.