Ukrainian migrants’ and war refugees’ admissions to hospital: evidence from the Polish Nationwide General Hospital Morbidity Study, 2014–2022

BACKGROUND: Considering the rapid influx of Ukrainian migrants and war refugees into Poland, the knowledge of their health condition is becoming increasingly important for health system policy and planning. The aim of the study was to assess war-related changes in the frequency and structure of hospitalizations among Ukrainian migrants and refugees in Poland. METHODS: The study is based on the analysis of hospital admission records of Ukrainian patients, which were collected in the Nationwide General Hospital Morbidity Study from 01.01.2014 to 31.12.2022. RESULTS: In the study period, 13,024 Ukrainians were hospitalized in Poland, 51.7% of whom had been admitted to hospital after February 24, 2022. After the war broke out, the average daily hospital admissions augmented from 2.1 to 21.6 person/day. A noticeable increase in the share of women (from 50% to 62%) and children (from 14% to 51%) was also observed. The average age of patients fell from 33.6 ± 0.2 years to 24.6 ± 0.3 years. The most frequently reported hospital events among the migrants until 23.02.2022 were injuries (S00-T98) – 26.1%, pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O00-O99) – 18.4%, and factors influencing health status and contact with health services (Z00-Z99) – 8.4%. After the war started, the incidence of health problems among migrants and war refugees changed, with pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O00-O99) being the most common – 14.9%, followed by abnormal clinical and lab findings (R00-R99) – 11.9%, and infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99) – 11.0%. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings may support health policy planning and delivering adequate healthcare in refugee-hosting countries.