Barriers to Diabetes Care during Humanitarian Crisis during 2013–2022 in Five Arabian Countries: A Systematic Review

Objective: The purpose of this systematic review is to examine the difficulty in getting diabetes care in five Arab nations that experienced conflict and humanitarian crises between 2013 and 2022. Materials and methods: Original published articles (2013–2022) reporting diabetes care challenges refugees and host community members were searched from Web of Sciences, PubMed and Europe PMC databases. Two impartial reviewers evaluated the methodological quality of the data from these studies. Results: Of 670 searched studies, 41 studies were included in this systemic review. Fourteen were published between 2013 and 2017, and 27 were published between 2018 and 2022. The main barriers to diabetes care reported were; a) refugees who lacked diabetes knowledge and information, b) community members who complained of financial shortage and insufficient drug supply, c) government health providers who expressed hostility toward the refugees, and d) humanitarian organizations that provided subpar care due to financial hardship and lack of resources. Conclusions: This review focuses on evidence of suboptimal diabetes care in humanitarian settings in five Arabic countries affected by wars and conflicts. There are numerous impediments to monitoring, investigating, and treating displaced and host community patients. These barriers can be overcome by improving the knowledge of both patients and healthcare providers, as well as overcoming the hosting communities’ economic shortage.