Cochrane South Africa, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa.
School of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
Pan Afr Med J. 2020 Jun 16;35(Suppl 2):78. doi: 10.11604/pamj.supp.2020.35.24283. eCollection 2020.
The occurrence of social isolation and loneliness has increased with the implementation of social distancing measures in multiple countries to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. Social isolation and loneliness are associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. Numerous interventions addressing social isolation and loneliness have been studied, including social facilitation using video calls. A Cochrane review, published in May 2020, assessed the effectiveness of video calls for preventing social isolation and loneliness in the elderly. The authors conducted a comprehensive electronic search and found three eligible studies, none of which was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. The review provides limited and uncertain evidence regarding the effectiveness of video call interventions to reduce loneliness in the elderly. Given the need for social distancing among the elderly, even when social distancing measures are lifted in African countries, there is a need for further research on the effectiveness of video calls in reducing social isolation and loneliness among older people.
随着多个国家为控制 COVID-19 大流行而实施社会隔离措施，社会隔离和孤独感的发生有所增加。社会隔离和孤独感与相当大的发病率和死亡率有关。已经研究了许多针对社会隔离和孤独感的干预措施，包括使用视频通话进行社交促进。2020 年 5 月发表的一项 Cochrane 综述评估了视频通话预防老年人社会隔离和孤独感的有效性。作者进行了全面的电子搜索，发现了三项符合条件的研究，但没有一项是在 COVID-19 大流行期间进行的。该综述提供了关于视频通话干预措施减轻老年人孤独感的有效性的有限且不确定的证据。考虑到老年人需要保持社交距离，即使在非洲国家解除社交距离措施后，仍需要进一步研究视频通话在减少老年人社会隔离和孤独感方面的有效性。
