Non-communicable diseases in disasters: a protocol for a systematic review

Background: ncds require an ongoing management for optimal outcomes, which is challengingin emergency settings, because natural disasters increase the risk of acute ncd exacerbationsand lead to health systems’ inability to respond. this study aims to develop a protocol for asystematic review on non-communicable diseases in natural disaster settings.methods: this systematic review protocol is submitted to the international prospective registerof systematic reviews (registration no. crd42020164032). the electronic databases to beused in this study include: medline, scopus, web of science, clinical key, cinahl, ebsco, ovid,embase, proquest, google scholar, cochrane library (cochrane database of systematicreviews; cochrane central register of controlled trials). records from 1997 to 2019 are subjectto this investigation. three independent researchers will review the titles, abstracts, and full textsof articles eligible for inclusion, and if not matched, they will be reviewed by a final fourthreviewer. the proposed systematic review will be reported in accordance with the reportingguideline provided in the preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis(prisma) statement. we select studies based on: picos (participants, interventions,comparators, and outcomes).results: this systematic review identifies any impacts of natural disasters on patients with ncds in three stages i.e. before, during and in the aftermath of natural disasters.conclusion: a comprehensive response to ncd management in natural disasters is an importantbut neglected aspect of non-communicable disease control and humanitarian response, whichcan significantly reduce the potential risk of morbidity and mortality associated with naturaldisasters.