Other ways of communicating the pandemic - memes and stickers against COVID-19: a systematic review

Abstract

Background: In the midst of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, there are many ways to communicate hygiene measures, such as memes and stickers that are widely used on social networks. We carried out a systematic review in order to determine the impact of stickers and memes as tools to face the COVID-19 pandemic, following the PRISMA guide. Methods: The search was carried out in scientific databases (MEDLINE / PubMed, ScientiDirect, Scielo, LILACS, and Latindex), and in public pre-publication servers (bioRxiv, SocArXiv, medRxiv and Preprints). The publications were identified using the terms (((meme) OR (sticker)) AND ((COVID-19) OR (SARS-COV-2)) AND (WhatsApp)) and the corresponding translations for Spanish and Portuguese. Results: In the initial search, 8434 studies were obtained, 7749 in Preprints, 446 in SocArXiv, 145 in ScientDirect, 82 in medRxiv, and 12 in PubMed. No studies were found in LILACS, Latindex, Scielo, or bioRxiv. Of the 51 studies included as eligible, all were eliminated for not meeting the study inclusion criteria. The majority (40 studies) were eliminated as studies were publications related to the social aspects related to COVID-19, but did not develop an analysis of stickers or memes. Conclusions: No studies were identified that met the inclusion criteria related to the role of stickers and memes as tools to face the COVID-19 pandemic. More studies are needed to estimate its role as a means of communication in health.

A systematic review of the impact of corruption in Latin America during the spread of the first wave of COVID-19

“…25 The empty review is a tool to improve the synthesis of evidence. 26 This study shows the lack of studies on the impact of corruption during Covid-19, even though corruption is a known and widely evident phenomenon in Latin America that worsens inequity. 22…”

“…25 The empty review is a tool to improve the synthesis of evidence. 26 This study shows the lack of studies on the impact of corruption during Covid-19, even though corruption is a known and widely evident phenomenon in Latin America that worsens inequity. 22 Corruption has been destroying the fragile economic structures of almost all Latin American countries, 21,27 and Peru in particular, and it is important to assess its impact.…”

What is the perception of medical students about eLearning during the COVID-19 pandemic? A multicenter study in Peru

“…Second, due to the study design, students were not followed up during the years of study in virtual media. Third, this study has not included an analysis of emerging forms of communication applied to medical undergraduate education (i.e., memes), so future studies should analyse the role of this "new language" in both distance education and face-to-face education [46]. Fourth, eLearning has not been differentiated during the medical internship, preinternship placements, or surgery and medical anatomy programs that require a hands-on component.…”

Where Do Medical Students Look for Information? A Study on Scientific Consultation Sources in Peru

“…1. At the discretion of the authors, they are considered the most frequent sources of scientific consultation, however, it is necessary to develop future studies considering the new free-access educational platforms, as well as the new forms of communication [37] among medical students;…”