Few data are available to evaluate the impact of Syrian war on civilian population; to describe this impact on child health, this article uses data from Médecins Sans Frontières-Operational Centre Amsterdam’s activities in Tal-Abyad and Kobane cities, northern Syria (2013–2016). Data were obtained from routine medical datasets and narrative reports, for out-patient clinics, immunisation, nutritional monitoring and assessments, and in-patient care, and were analysed quantitatively and qualitatively. Infections were the largest contributor to morbidity. The proportion of < 5 year out-patient consultations of infectious diseases that are listed for outbreak monitoring in emergencies was 15% in 2013, 51% in 2014, 75% in 2015 and 70% in 2016. Thalassemia was recorded in 0.5% of 2014 < 5 year out-patient consultations and 3.4% of 2013–2014 < 18-year in-patient admissions. Measles immunisation activities and routine Extended Programme for Immunisation were re-activated across northern Syria; however, immunisation coverage could not be calculated. Results from our routine data must be compared cautiously, due to differences in settings and disease categories. Conclusion: With such scattered interventions, routine data are limited in providing a quantified evidence of emergency’s health impact; however, they help in drawing a picture of children’s health status and highlighting difficulties in providing curative and preventive services, in order to reflect part of population’s plight. What is Known • Few data exist to evaluate the impact of the Syrian war on the health of children; • Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF-OCA) has worked in northern Syria during different times since 2013. What is New • Quantitative and qualitative analysis of MSF’s routine medical data and situtation reports show that one fifth of all consultations in children < 5 years in MSF health facilities in northern Syria 2013–2016 were due to communicable diseases; • The analysis also highlights the burden of chronic conditions that were prevalent in Syria before the war, e.g. thalassemia.

Studies on the prevalence of hypertension in Vietnam have reported various estimates. There is no up-to-date assessment of the evidence on the magnitude of hypertension in Vietnam. Search engines for scientific and gray literature were used to identify relevant records for eligibility screening and quality assessment. Data from selected articles were extracted using standardized spreadsheets. Statistical analysis included estimating pooled prevalence and odds ratio, heterogeneity evaluation, meta-regression, and subgroup analysis, in addition to sensitivity analysis and publication bias evaluation. The pooled prevalence of measured hypertension in Vietnam was 21.1% (95% confidence interval = 18.5-23.7) based on 10 studies, and 18.4% (95% confidence interval = 15.2-21.8) based on 3 national surveys. Lower pooled prevalence was estimated for hypertension awareness (9.3%) and hypertension treatment (4.7%). The pooled prevalence of measured hypertension is significantly higher among men. The pooled prevalence of measured hypertension and hypertension awareness and treatment were significantly lower in rural settings. There is a need to strengthen efforts for primary and secondary prevention and disease management to reduce morbidity and mortality, especially in rural residence settings.

Background Within the context of the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) globally, there is limited evidence on how researchers have explored the response to chronic health needs in the context of health policy and systems in low- and middle-income countries. Continuity of care (CoC) is one concept that represents several elements of a long-term model of care. This scoping review aims to map and describe the state of knowledge regarding how researchers in resource-constrained settings have defined and used the concept of CoC for chronic conditions in primary healthcare. Methods This scoping review adopted the modified framework for interpretive scoping literature reviews. A systematic literature search in PubMed was performed, followed by a study selection process and data extraction, analysis and synthesis. Extracted data regarding the context of using CoC and the definition of CoC were analysed inductively to identify similar patterns; based on this, articles were divided into groups. MaxQDA was then used to re-code each article with themes according to the CoC definition to perform a cross-case synthesis under each identified group. Results A total of 55 peer-reviewed articles, comprising reviews or commentaries and qualitative or quantitative studies, were included. The number of articles has increased over the years. Five groups were identified as those (1) reflecting a change across stages or systems of care, (2) mentioning continuity or lack of continuity without a detailed definition, (3) researching CoC in HIV/AIDS programmes and its scaling up to support management of NCDs, (4) researching CoC in NCD management, and (5) measuring CoC with validated questionnaires. Conclusion Research or policy documents need to provide an explicit definition of CoC when this terminology is used. A framework for CoC is suggested, acknowledging three components for CoC (i.e. longitudinal care, the nature of the patient–provider relationship and coordinated care) while considering relevant contextual factors, particularly access and quality. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12961-019-0426-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.