Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

El impacto de los medios de comunicación en la opinión pública y la facilidad de acceso a la información, gracias a internet y a las nuevas tecnologías, han desplazado a los profesionales sanitarios como fuente principal de información sanitaria. Las expectativas de la ciudadanía respecto al sistema sanitario también han cambiado a la vez que la relación médico–paciente, al perfilarse el paciente como un agente más informado, demandante y exigente. Analizamos los factores que han abocado a la actual situación de desconfianza y desprestigio de las que nunca debieron dejar de ser las principales fuentes de información sanitaria: los profesionales y organizaciones sanitarias, en colaboración con los medios y profesionales de la información.

Letter to the editor

Introduction: Public instances use indigenous languages in communications about COVID-19; but the availability of such materials is still very limited and sometimes are not accessible enough. Objective: To generate health communications according to the reality of the most numerous indigenous group in Mexico, the maya. Methodology: We conformed a multidisciplinary working team, and to identify the necessities of information, we performed a search for official materials and a survey in Mayan communities. We generated and adjusted the communications considering linguistic and sociocultural conditions. Results: All products were spoken in maya because the majority of maya speakers do not read in their language. We generated three videos and a podcast series of six episodes, in digital format and for traditional radio. They include general health information and topics with limited coverage in maya language. Conclusion: With our communication materials, we expect to contribute to equity in information about COVID-19 and to make more visible the importance of maya language in health messages.

Introduction: The aetiological ignorance of the 1918 flu, added to the high mortality that it caused, led to the appearance of a multitude of drugs and health products to tackle it. Objective: To analyze the advertisements that were published in the Spanish press during the influenza epidemic of 1918. Methodology: A selection of advertisements containing the concept 'influenza' was made in the newspapers of the digital newspaper library of the National Library of Spain, between January 1, 1918 and December 31, 1920. Results: There was an increase in the frequency of publication of advertisements, which were characterized by the description of the product to be offered and its validity against the epidemic of flu. Conclusions: It is observed the great advertising coverage that newspapers gave to the influenza epidemic of 1918 and the large number of advertisements that emerged to cure the disease, which produced a huge impact on spanish society.

Introducción: Los hospitales hacen frente a un contexto cambiante que les obliga a acelerar su transformación digital: cibersalud, nuevos modelos de negocio, competencia global, etc. En este contexto, las redes sociales se han convertido en una herramienta útil para transformar dichos hospitales y mejorar su imagen pública. Objetivo: Este artículo tiene como objetivo analizar cómo los mejores hospitales del mundo gestionan las redes sociales para difundir contenido relacionado con la marca y de este modo reforzar su reputación. Metodología: Para ello, realizamos una revisión bibliográfica sobre comunicación en salud, redes sociales y marcas; posteriormente, analizamos cómo los 100 mejores hospitales del mundo gestionan sus redes sociales (Facebook, Twitter, Youtube), así como sus propios sitios web corporativos para promover su marca; y finalmente, proponemos diferentes implicaciones de gestión. Resultados: La mayor parte de los hospitales recurren a su página web (76%) y sus perfiles corporativos en Facebook (78%), Twitter (73%) y Youtube (78%) para promocionar su marca. Conclusiones: Los hospitales deben priorizar un enfoque de comunicación corporativa, centrarse en contenido útil para cada stakeholder y promover sesiones de formación para ayudar a los empleados a convertirse en embajadores de marca.

Introducción: La Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) declaró la enfermedad por COVID-19 como pandemia el 11 de marzo de 2020. Se trata de una enfermedad que se contagia mayoritariamente por vía respiratoria, por lo que el uso de la mascarilla fue obligatorio. La comunicación se vio afectada en el ámbito clínico. Objetivos: Describir la comunicación entre enfermera, paciente y familia durante la crisis sanitaria de la COVID-19 en el contexto sociosanitario a nivel internacional. Metodología: Revisión narrativa de publicaciones de 2020 y 2021. Las bases de datos consultadas han sido: Cuiden, PubMed, SciELO, Biblioteca Cochrane Plus, Scopus y Web of Science. También se ha consultado el buscador de Google Académico y las revistas Paraninfo Digital y Revista Española de Comunicación en Salud. Resultados: Se han analizado un total de 26 artículos. Conclusiones: La comunicación se ha visto afectada por la pandemia, especialmente la no verbal debido al uso de las mascarillas. Además, el poco tiempo del que disponía la enfermera para establecer una conversación con el paciente también ha influido de manera negativa. Ante ello, ha surgido la telemedicina como alternativa a la atención asistencial presencial.

Introduction: Prioritizing the promotion of competencies for early childhood development has become essential and characteristically urgent in families. In this context, incorporating technology into daily life gives new opportunities for parental development and support in child-rearing. Objective: To describe perceptions of digital platforms as the preferred source or modality of obtaining information on child-rearing practices for parents or caregivers in early childhood. Methodology: A qualitative descriptive study aimed at early childhood parents or caregivers in the Metropolitan Region of Chile. Data analysis was done utilizing open coding, and based on grounded theory. Results: Caregivers indicate that digital platforms have helped them be prepared and informed regarding child rearing and the health of their children. Conclusions: Digital platforms have become a support of caregivers for child-rearing. Knowing the needs of parents or caregivers can be helpful in the development of future educational materials related to child-rearing and other interventions based on information and communication technologies.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has focused journalistic information since the beginning of 2020 and until today, multiplying the appearances of the scientific community in the media. Objectives: This study aims to find out how the relations have been between the media and spanish scientists, and how the latter value them. Methodology: The research has been carried out from 818 surveys, distributed among scientists from spanish scientific societies. Results: 22% of scientists have collaborated with at least one media during the pandemic, especially newspapers and televisions. The scientific community considers that journalists do not document their information in scientific journals on most occasions and that the media should increase the spaces for participation of experts. Also, nearly half of scientists considers it appropriate to simplify scientific language to make it more understandable and a third of those surveyed reported that the media did not strictly respect their statements. Conclusions: The study serves as a guide to good practices in relations between the media and scientific communication, and allows to conclude that it is urgent to reach meeting points in these relations, with more rigor in journalistic texts and a greater adaptation of the scientific community to the journalists' routines.  

Introduction: MoMo monitors and communicates daily mortality in Spain, however, the delay in the notification of deaths biases downwards the estimates from MoMo. Objective: this study evaluates five methods that correct for the effect of notification delays on daily excess mortality estimates during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: 1) estimates for the excess mortality in Spain were published daily and gathered within 01/09/2020-25/12/2020. 2) adjusted excess mortality estimates were computed by applying five different models that correct for the delay in the notification of deaths. 3) these corrections were evaluated using the mean absolute error (MAE) and the root mean square error (RMSE). Results: the delay in the notification implied that the cumulative excess mortality estimates from MoMo during the second wave were, on average, 87% of their definitive values. The quadratic and cubic regression models raised them to 98%, on average. Using quadratic regressions reduced the RMSE and the MAE of MoMo’s estimates in 6 and 13%, respectively. Conclusion: to improve the daily estimates from MoMo for the cumulative excess of deaths, it is recommended to use quadratic regressions to correct the effect of the notification delay.