Establishing the Status of Patients With Non-Communicable Diseases in Disaster: A Systematic Review

Objective: People with NCDs are particularly vulnerable to disasters. This research systematically reviewed reports describing studies on the status of patients with NCDs before, during and after disasters. Method: Relevant articles published from 1997 to 2019 were collected by searching the Scopus, PubMed, and Science Direct databases. We specifically examined reports describing NCDs and including the key words 'Non-Communicable Disease and Disasters.' NCDs include cardiovascular, respiratory, diabetes and cancer diseases. Results: The review identified 42 relevant articles. Most of the included studies were found to have described the conditions of patients with NCDs after disasters - 14 (13.3%), during disasters - 11 (26.2%), before disasters - 6 (14.3%), within all stages of disasters: before, during and after - 6 (14.3%), only during and after disasters - 4 (9.5%), and includes before and during disasters - 1 (2.4%). Conclusion: NCDs pose major health issues in disasters. Development of strong counter measures against the interruption of treatment, as well as surveillance systems to ascertain medical needs for NCDs are necessary as preparation for future disasters.