Citation

Troya MI, Greene MC, Santos CG, Shultz JM. Disaster Health 2016; 3(4): 90-101.

Affiliation

Center for Disaster & Extreme Event Preparedness (DEEP Center), University of Miami Miller School of Medicine , Miami FL, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/21665044.2016.1261598

PMID

28265485

PMCID

PMC5325464

Abstract

Following the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Ecuador on 16 April 2016, multiple salient public health concerns were raised, including the need to provide mental health and psychosocial support for individual survivors and their communities. The World Health Organization and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees recommend conducting a desk review to summarize existing information, specific to the affected communities, that will support timely, culturally-attuned assessment and delivery of mental health and psychosocial support shortly after the onset of a disaster or humanitarian emergency. The desk review is one component of a comprehensive toolkit designed to inform and support humanitarian actors and their responders in the field. This commentary provides a case example of the development of a desk review that was used to inform personnel responding to the 2016 earthquake in Ecuador. The desk review process is described in addition to several innovations that were introduced to the process during this iteration. Strengths and limitations are discussed, as well as lessons learned and recommendations for future applications.

Language: en

Keywords

Ecuador; MHPSS; desk review; disaster behavioral health; earthquake; humanitarian crisis; mental health; mental health and psychosocial support; psychosocial