The impact of COVID-19 on mental health in Hispanic Caribbean region. Llibre-Guerra JJ, Jiménez-Velázquez IZ, Llibre-Rodríguez JJ, Acosta D. Cambridge University Press. 2020 May 20.
The recent global severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic will leave its shadow over mental health in our society, especially among the most vulnerable such as elderly populations and those living with mental health disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related dementias. Cognitive impairment and/or dementia itself does not increase the risk for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, people living with cognitive impairment might have difficulties understanding public health information or remembering safeguard procedures (Wang et al., 2020). New measures taken at country level to prevent the spread of the disease are also likely to increase or worsen other mental-health-related disorders like anxiety, depression, substance abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder, and domestic violence (Galea et al., 2020). In early March 2020 Cuba, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico reported their first COVID-19 cases, and various strategies are underway to tackle with the raising number of cases. The double hit of COVID-19 in elderly populations and among those with comorbid conditions has raised significant concerns in the Caribbean region. In light of these concerns, health care providers and caregivers should pay extra attention to those in most vulnerable situations. In addition, due to the potential impact of COVID-19 on mental health in the elderly population living in the Caribbean area, immediate efforts focused on prevention and early detection of mental health disorders related with the outbreak are required. On this commentary, we examined current situation and impact of COVID-19 on mental health in the Caribbean Hispanic region (Cuba, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico). Furthermore, we provide recommendations to health care providers and caregivers to better cope and manage the impact of COVID-19 in our region.
Análisis bibliométrico de la producción científica latinoamericana y del Caribe sobre COVID-19 en PUBMED. Torres Pascual C, Torrell-Vallespín S. Revista Cubana de Información en Ciencias de la Salud [revista en Internet]. 2020;31(3). DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.36512/rcics.v31i3.1600 Spanish Only
ABSTRACT The purpose of the study was to evaluate the Latin American and Caribbean scientific production about COVID-19. The search was conducted in the database PubMed. A total 257 documents were retrieved (3% of the world production) from 155 journals. Output growth was found to be linear (R2= 0.72). The transience index reached 89%, and 0.45% of the Latin American authors were prolific producers (≥ 10 papers). A total 655 author affiliated to 311 institutions was from 16 Latin American and Caribbean countries. The international collaboration rate reached 61.08%, and the international collaboration level was 4.12 ± 2.93. The journals with the greatest production were Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease (n= 23) and Epidemiology and Health Services: Journal of the Brazilian Unified Health System (n= 13). The papers were published in English (96.87%), Portuguese (8.56%) and Spanish (5.05%). The number of studies about COVID-19 should be increased in Latin America with more prolific authors, to consolidate the bibliography on the topic. International collaboration should be broadened with a view to setting up effective work strategies.
Perspectives on Battling COVID-19 in Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. Andrus JK, Evans-Gilbert T, Santos JI, et al. The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 2020 Jun. DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.20-0571
The impact of COVID-19 on mental health in the Hispanic Caribbean region Llibre-Guerra, J., Jiménez-Velázquez, I., Llibre-Rodriguez, J., & Acosta, D. International Psychogeriatrics, (2020). 1-4. doi:10.1017/S1041610220000848
