The University Hospital of Bern (Inselspital) is one of the largest hospitals in Switzerland, with a catchment area of 1.8 million people. The Emergency Department is a Level 1 clinic, part of the «Swiss Hospitals for Equity» network and consists of an interdisciplinary team with round-the-clock access to all medical specialties. In total, we treat over 50,000 patients from 148 countries a year, of whom about half are self-referrals. An essential part of the emergency department is the integrated outpatient emergency clinic (Fast Track) for scheduled and unscheduled consultations, often of patients with less acute complaints. It also serves as primary care provider for patients who have difficulties to access the local health care system (e.g. due to language or socio-economic reasons), especially for patients with a migration background. At the ED, we conduct pro- and retrospective studies about health literacy, disease profiles/health problems and patient characteristics of patients with migration background, such as patient consultations of asylum seekers in comparison with Swiss Nationals. Additionally, we are investigating reasons for consultations and barriers in access to healthcare among others.

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We conducted an observational survey over the period of 8 months with 3 measurement points over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic with refugee aid workers, which assessed the impact of their work and of the pandemic on their mental health. Furthermore, we created a brief awareness and training program, in the form of an online mental health workshop week in December 2020 together with WHO Greece and the University of Athens. The program aimed to promote mental health and to support individuals, specifically frontline refugee aid workers. In addition, in collaboration with the TPH and the Universities of Athens and Zurich, we are planning an intervention to support and strengthen the mental health of refugee aid workers, and this will be implemented from 01/2022 until 06/2023.

Under the leadership of Professor Exadaktylos, a special edition of the “International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health“ was published on the topic “Health of Refugees and Migrants“. There were 37 publications from all over Europe included in this special edition. The ECDC studies are particularly worth mentioning, as they were published as a European guideline. This open access and peer reviewed journal has an impact factor of 3.390.
(https://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph/special_issues/refugee_migrant_health).