Cultural Challenges in the Care of Refugees with End-Stage Renal Disease: What Western Nephrologists Should Know

Forced migration is on the rise, mainly from the Middle East to western countries, resulting in unprecedented moral, political, and economic challenges for both refugees and host communities. Recent research showed that refugees represent around 1.5% of the dialysis population in several European and Middle Eastern countries surveyed. Despite the fact that refugees represent a small percentage of all dialysis patients in these countries, adequate care for this population is challenging. There are cultural differences between refugee patients with end-stage renal disease hailing from the Middle East, who are predominantly Muslims, and people from the western host countries. These differences may present a major obstacle in ensuring adequate patient care. In this study, we identify several of these issues that we believe western renal providers should be aware of.