Page 36 - GHES-2-4

Global Health Economics and
Sustainability
Think of a similar situation in the future

Increased levels of depression were also reported at feeling highly susceptible to the risk of contracting
51.9% in Turkey (Irmak et al., 2021), 40.1% in Bangladesh COVID-19, and the fear of infecting other people.
(Mistry et al., 2021), 32.3% in Japan (Aihara & Kiyoshi, Regarding the factors of insufficient knowledge about
2021), 7.8 % in South Korea (Kim et al., 2022), and 30.4% the pandemic and the insecurity perceived by older adults,
in Brazil (De Oliveira et al., 2019). health professionals and the media have an important
Zhang and Chen (2021) report that Africa and South role to play in transmitting information calmly, avoiding
Asia had the worst overall mental health symptoms, inducing panic, and forming a positive perspective of hope
followed by Latin America. They also highlighted that and trust in health institutions and professionals.
Africa had the highest prevalence rate of depression at Regarding the factors linked to the isolation measures
45%, South Asia at 34%, and Latin America at 32%. This adopted to contain the spread of COVID-19, social
variability in depression prevalence rates may be associated isolation and loneliness are widely known as factors that
with cultural issues, level of social support, intensity of can lead to depression. In such a challenging scenario, it is
pandemic-containing measures, and access to health care. essential to reconsider limitations on socializing, especially

3. Measures to minimize depressive for individuals who may already have restricted social
contacts, as the negative effects of rigid isolation on mental
symptoms in older adults in future well-being can be severe.
pandemic scenarios
The factors of difficulty in receiving healthcare and
It is impossible to control all factors contributing to obtaining medicines will also need to be addressed. During
depression in older adults; some factors will always be the pandemic, healthcare resources were increasingly
present despite efforts to minimize their impact. However, directed toward COVID-19 healthcare, whereas healthcare
it is possible to intervene on some factors and develop for other diseases was neglected (Silva et al., 2023). In the
strategies aimed at minimizing their impact on the event of a future pandemic, it is crucial to consider this data
development of depressive symptoms. and implement measures to avoid overloading health services
Primarily, the factors associated with stress, emotions, with non-urgent patients, prioritize individuals with other
or anxieties associated with the pandemic, and exposure diseases that need treatment to avoid serious consequences,
to COVID-19 news in the media are worth highlighting or prioritize other severe illnesses (e.g., mental health issues).
as they may be related to the way the information was If a similar global health crisis occurs, it will be
presented, focusing on several catastrophic situations and important to implement more balanced, thoughtful
only a few success stories. In addition, other news was measures based on scientific evidence (Figure 1).
ignored due to the media’s constant focus on the pandemic,
resulting in reduced coverage of other topics. So much so 3.1. Shared decision-making
that during the COVID-19 pandemic, Director General The results are much more favorable when health professionals
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of the WHO said: “We are involve citizens/patients in decisions. Healthcare planning
not just fighting an epidemic; we are fighting an infodemic” must increasingly opt for person-centered care models and
(Niblock, 2023). must be individualized, dynamic, flexible, and participatory
In the event of a future pandemic, it is crucial to (John et al., 2020; Pinho et al., 2021).
communicate information calmly to avoid creating panic Shared decision-making leads to better results in
and to highlight success stories rather than focusing on patient adherence to medical recommendations, from a
negative scenarios and complications from the virus. person-centered care perspective, and helps the individual
Health professionals who deal with older adults may advise better understand the need for specific measures (John
reducing time spent watching the news or consuming et al., 2020; Pinho et al., 2021).
other sources of information to prevent excessive worry From this perspective, in a future pandemic, citizens/
that could lead to depression. patients must be greatly involved in defining and developing
Interestingly, receiving news from health professionals the necessary measures, thereby avoiding the imposition of
can also lead to the development of depressive symptoms, these measures, often without adequate explanation.
contrary to what might be expected. It may be possible to
rethink how pandemic-related information is transmitted 3.2. Partnerships with the education system/senior
and avoid spreading unnecessary and excessive worry, universities
which can also contribute to reducing the impact of the The role of the education system could be of paramount
following factors: having acquaintances who are infected, importance. Partnerships between health systems and

Volume 2 Issue 4 (2024) 3 https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.3193