ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: The new COVID-19 disease is worldwide. During the pandemic, attacks on healthcare staff have increased. The objective of the study was to know the incidence of aggression towards nursing staff and to evaluate the main emotional and psychological symptoms experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America. METHOD: A cross-sectional survey was applied to nursing staff of Spanish-speaking Latin American countries. Sociodemographic information was obtained concerning aggression, psychological symptoms, and emotional state. Descriptive statistics were applied in frequencies and percentages, means and standard deviation. RESULTS: 310 people from Mexico (65.2%), Argentina (5.8%), Colombia (5.2%), Honduras (5.2%), Costa Rica (4.5%) and other Latin American countries (14.1%) participated. 78.1% were women, with an average age of 35.2 years. 79.6% of the sample reported being attacked or discriminated against. The most common emotions were fear of getting sick (73.7%), sleep disturbances (33.4%), fear of infecting their relatives (33.4%). The mental health disorders reported were anxiety (29.2%), sadness (10.4%) and increased appetite (8.8%). The most frequent locations of aggression were the street and public transport. Our results suggest a high incidence of aggression against nursing staff during the pandemic; in any case, the staff present emotional and mental disturbances. It is necessary to develop safety and security policies for nursing staff and provide mental health care to staff who are on the first line of defence against COVID-19.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Diabetes mellitus is a serious public health problem that causes a decrease in the patients' quality of life. The present study was aimed to analyze the quality of life of patients with diabetes mellitus in Latin-American population through a systematic review, using the two instruments of greater validity and reliability at international level, SF-36 and WHOQOL. METHODS: We performed extensive searches in Redalyc, SciELO, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases. To delimit our search, we only included countries that are members of the Latin American Association of Diabetes. We identified 2168 articles, where 35 were considered relevant for this systematic review. RESULTS: Our results showed that patients that regularly receive guidance and treatment to control the diabetes, showed better quality of life; in contrast, patients with foot ulcers or comorbidities showed the worse quality of life. CONCLUSION: The current literature analysis suggests that this disease greatly influences in the quality of life of the patients.
