ArticleBMC health services research2025
Use of mobile health units in natural disasters: a scoping review.
Article in BMC health services research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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.
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.
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Optimizing mobile health clinic placement via geospatial modeling.Public health in practice (Oxford, England) · 2026Article
- Nurse-Led Mobile Clinics to Improve Rural Health Access and Disaster Preparedness: A Mixed-Methods Evaluation of a Texas Program.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Increased Density of Mobile Health Unit Encounters Among Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Areas.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Article
- Enhancing Competencies and Professional Upskilling of Mobile Healthcare Unit Personnel at the Hellenic National Public Health Organization.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMobile Health Units have become important resources for healthcare delivery to dispersed populations following natural disasters. However, criticism regarding their operational flexibility, health coverage and cost-effectiveness remain unaddressed. There are few studies evaluating their usefulness in natural disasters and deployment reports have never been included in peer-reviewed publications. With an expected rise in weather-related disasters, knowledge about the impact of MHUs on addressing health needs is needed. This study aimed to elucidate the use of mobile health units in natural disasters as described in the literature.
methodsA scoping review was conducted, searching twenty-six databases and websites. Documents detailing operational characteristics and practices of mobile health units deployed to natural disasters, published between 2000 and 2022 in English, were included. Findings were analysed using thematic content analysis with the World Health Organization Classification and Minimum Standards for Emergency Medical Teams as a guiding framework.
resultsNearly 3000 documents were screened, yielding thirteen documents eligible for inclusion. The literature highlighted seven themes: key characteristics, operational availability, services, benchmark indicator, staff, self-sufficiency and pre-deployment preparations. The reports cover earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, hurricanes, typhoons, cyclones, landslides and mudslides. Mobile health units were described to improve access to outpatient healthcare for populations with limited access to routine services. However, limitations related to mobility, logistics, referral capacity, health coverage and communication posed significant challenges.
conclusionsData on the use of mobile health units in natural disasters is scarce with inconsistent reporting of key aspects, stressing a need for uniform reporting. In response to inaccessible fixed healthcare facilities, mobile health units were described to address the normal burden of disease rather than emergency care. Coordination, transportation, referral systems and data collection were highlighted as the main areas of improvement.
trial registrationNot applicable.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.