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Disaster and Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review
Reza HabibiSaravi1, Seyed Mohammad Baghbanian2, Ramin Navaie1
1Prehospital Emergency Medical Services and Disaster Management Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
Iranian Journal of Public Health
|February 6, 2023
Summary
People with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) are more vulnerable during disasters. This review found a significant lack of specific disaster management planning for MS patients, highlighting an urgent need for targeted protocols.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Disaster Management
- Neurology
Background:
- Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients face unique challenges due to disease-related disabilities, increasing their vulnerability during disasters.
- Existing disaster management plans often do not adequately address the specific needs of individuals with MS.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct a comprehensive review of existing literature on disaster management planning for Multiple Sclerosis patients.
- To identify gaps in current disaster preparedness and response strategies concerning MS patients.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature search across major databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, etc.) and grey literature up to mid-2021.
- Inclusion criteria applied to titles, abstracts, and full texts of retrieved documents.
- Data abstraction from 15 selected documents (13 articles, 2 books/book sections).
Main Results:
- The review identified a limited number of studies specifically addressing MS patients in disaster contexts (53% of relevant articles).
- A majority of studies (71.4%) focused on the impact of disaster-induced stress on MS patients.
- Disaster preparedness plans found were often general, including MS patients as part of broader disability groups.
Conclusions:
- There is a critical deficiency in tailored disaster management planning for Multiple Sclerosis patients.
- Urgent development of specific planning protocols is required to address the unique vulnerabilities and needs of MS patients during and after disasters.
