Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34106987›Full record

SynthesisPloS one2021

Health service use and health outcomes among international migrant workers compared with non-migrant workers: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Frank Pega, Srinivasan Govindaraj, Nguyen Toan Tran

Open access · goldAbstract readComparative StudyMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in PloS one, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
22citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
3.0field-weighted citation impact, top 9% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

22 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 33 citations in OpenAlex.

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  13. Concrete silo collapse: emergency medical services response to a mass casualty incident.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Frank PegaEnvironment, Climate Change and Health Department, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0002-2089-3083
Srinivasan GovindarajEnvironment, Climate Change and Health Department, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.
Nguyen Toan TranAustralian Centre for Public and Population Health Research, Faculty of Health, University of Technology, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
World Health Organization · CHUniversity of Technology Sydney · AU

Funding

NIOSH CDC HHS E11 OH010676World Health Organization 001
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesThe review aimed to synthesise recent evidence on health service use and health outcomes among international migrant workers, compared with non-migrant workers.

methodsA search was carried out in MEDLINE, PubMed, Embase, and CINAHL for studies published between Jan 1, 2010, and Feb 29, 2020. Included outcomes were: occupational health service use, fatal occupational injury, HIV, and depression. Two authors independently screened records, extracted data, assessed risk of bias and judged quality of evidence. We meta-analysed estimates and conducted subgroup analyses by sex, geographical origin, geographical destination, and regularity of migration.

resultsTwenty-one studies were included comprising >17 million participants in 16 countries. Most studies investigated regular migrant workers in high-income destination countries. Compared with non-migrant workers, migrant workers were less likely to use health services (relative risk 0·55, 95% confidence interval 0·41 to 0·73, 4 studies, 3,804,131 participants, I2 100%, low quality of evidence). They more commonly had occupational injuries (1·27, 95% confidence interval 1·11 to 1·45, 7 studies, 17,100,626 participants, I2 96%, low quality of evidence). Relative risks differed by geographical origin and/or destination. There is uncertainty (very low quality of evidence) about occupational health service use (0 studies), fatal occupational injuries (5 studies, N = 14,210,820), HIV (3 studies, N = 13,775), and depression (2 studies, N = 7,512).

conclusionsMigrant workers may be less likely than non-migrant workers to use health services and more likely to have occupational injuries. More research is required on migrant workers from and in low- and middle-income countries, across migration stages, migrating irregularly, and in the informal economy.

Indexed as

Cost of IllnessHumansInternationalityOccupational DiseasesOccupational HealthOccupational Health ServicesOccupational InjuriesOutcome Assessment, Health CarePatient Acceptance of Health CareTransients and Migrants

Identifiers

PMID34106987
PMCPMC8189512
OpenAlexW3169656317

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.