Fake news and misinformation in Brazil: critical analyses regarding scientific information in pandemic times

Introduction: fake news is one of the most frequently discussed subjects in the media, a problem that has become more evident with the rise of social and digital networks assuming the role of main information disseminators. From this perspective, it is important to be connected to a simple, fast communication vehicle that reaches many people. Media may also damage quality of scientific health communication with a negative impact on citizens' lives.Objective: in this context, this article aims to reflect on fake news and the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, which has devastated the world since the beginning of 2020, particularly in Brazil.Methods: countless actions have been taken to contain what the World Health Organization (WHO) calls an "infodemic" that is present in everyday life, invading houses, mobile phones, and computers, in a time of social isolation and working from home. In this scenario, it is up to journalists, communicators, scientists, and health professionals jointly to share important information and to communicate about health and science in a responsible way.Conclusion: in a crisis it becomes essential that information reaches a large number of people and community leaders in order to influence people positively, which might help to save lives

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Medical Education: a Systematic Review of Distance Learning, Student's Perceptions, and Mental Health

Introduction: the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted on mortality and several adverse health outcomes. It has also affected education as schools and universities had to adapt to remote learning due to social isolation strategies.Objective: to analyze the pandemic's impact on medical education including undergraduate and graduate students and lecturers, as follow: i) teaching methods adopted by education institutes during shutdown, ii) students and lecturers' perceptions and iii) impacts on students' mental health.Methods: this systematic review includes the following study designs: cross-sectional, surveys, case-control, cohort, and clinical trials. The literature search was performed in four databases: PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and SciELO . The risk of bias and the quality of the evidence were evaluated.Results: a total of 1,576 articles were identified through searching databases, and 40 articles were included. We found the use of several teaching methods such as virtual platforms and social media, pre-recorded videos, discussion forums and others. Student's challenges related to interference during online study such as family distractions, lack of a study room, challenges with internet connectivity, difficulties in communication between students and lecturers, gaps encountered during clinical skills learning. Lecturers' challenges were difficulty in grasping students' progress and learning outcomes and the lack of experience in online teaching. Only five studies explored mental health issues of medical students and found the occurrence of depression, anxiety, and stress. However, their prevalence was not comparable due to the use of different diagnostic instruments.Conclusion: there has been a wide range of teaching methods implemented for distance learning of medical students globally. The perceptions of medical students about these methods and their impact were also varied. Infrastructure, family, and curriculum problems represented the greatest difficulties in adherence and satisfaction with distance learning. However, the flexibility of digital learning was one of the factors that helped reduce these problems. Regarding mental health, the occurrence of anxiety, depression, and stress was reported.

Introdução: a pandemia de COVID-19 teve impacto na mortalidade e em vários resultados adversos para a saúde. Também afetou a educação, pois escolas e universidades tiveram que se adaptar ao ensino remoto devido às estratégias de isolamento social.Objetivo: analisar o impacto da pandemia na educação médica, incluindo alunos de graduação e pós-graduação e professores, a saber: i) métodos de ensino adotados pelas instituições de ensino durante a paralisação, ii) percepções de alunos e professores e iii) impactos na saúde mental dos alunos.Método: esta revisão sistemática inclui os seguintes desenhos de estudo: transversal, surveys, caso-controle, coorte e ensaios clínicos. A pesquisa bibliográfica foi realizada em quatro bases de dados: PubMed, Scopus, Embase e SciELO. O risco de viés e a qualidade da evidência foram avaliados.Resultados: um total de 1.576 artigos foram identificados por meio de busca em bancos de dados, e 40 artigos foram incluídos. Constatamos a utilização de diversos métodos de ensino como plataformas virtuais e redes sociais, vídeos pré-gravados, fóruns de discussão e outros. Desafios dos alunos relacionados à interferência durante o estudo online, como distrações familiares, falta de uma sala de estudo, desafios com conectividade à Internet, dificuldades de comunicação entre alunos e professores, lacunas encontradas durante o aprendizado de habilidades clínicas. Os desafios dos professores foram a dificuldade em compreender o progresso dos alunos e os resultados de aprendizagem e a falta de experiência no ensino online. Apenas cinco estudos exploraram questões de saúde mental de estudantes de medicina e encontraram a ocorrência de depressão, ansiedade e estresse. No entanto, sua prevalência não foi comparável devido ao uso de diferentes instrumentos de diagnóstico.Conclusão: existe uma ampla gama de métodos de ensino implementados para o ensino a distância de estudantes de medicina em todo o mundo. As percepções dos estudantes de medicina sobre esses métodos e seu impacto também foram variadas. Problemas de infraestrutura, família e currículo representaram as maiores dificuldades de adesão e satisfação com o ensino a distância. No entanto, a flexibilidade do aprendizado digital foi um dos fatores que ajudou a reduzir esses problemas. Em relação à saúde mental, foi relatada a ocorrência de ansiedade, depressão e estresse.