Issue 1/2021 uses two studies (RESPOND, PriCare) to show how to improve the availability of information on the health of refugees at the local, state, and federal levels. To date, the integration of refugees in German health surveys is insufficient. The survey RESPOND (Improving regional health system responses to the challenges of forced migration) aimed to collect valid epidemiological data on refugee health status and healthcare provision.

As part of the research project ‘Health and primary-care sentinel surveillance in reception- and accommodation-centres for asylum-seekers in Germany’ (PriCare), a health-monitoring approach was developed for the secondary use of routine medical data from on-site outpatient clinics in reception centres.