An evidence review of research on health interventions in humanitarian crises: 2021 Update

Humanitarian crises pose a major threat to health and dignity worldwide. There is a need for evidence-based interventions in humanitarian settings to maximise the impact of efforts to respond to pressing needs. The first Elrha Humanitarian Health Evidence Review (HHER1), led by a team from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and published in 2015, was the first report to provide a comprehensive assessment of the evidence base for humanitarian health interventions in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Recognising that a significant body of relevant research has been published since 2013 (the upper limit for publication dates included in the first review), we commissioned researchers from the Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health to update HHER1, documenting new evidence that has contributed to the public health evidence base informing humanitarian decision-making.

This review, HHER2, has assessed evidence for interventions in humanitarian crises in nine thematic areas:

• communicable disease control
• sexual and reproductive health (SHR), inc. gender-based violence (GBV)
• non-communicable disease (NCD)
• water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)
• mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS)
• health service delivery strategies
• nutrition
• injury and physical rehabilitation
• health systems interventions