Preventive and Social Medicine in Outbreak Era

Dear colleagues, 

COVID-19, with its clear epidemiological and social virulence, has triggered behavioral reactions, typical of health emergencies, which in a short period of time have significantly affected the health care model of our country. Indeed, all efforts have been directed, on one hand, toward slowing down the spread of infection and, on the other hand, assisting citizens affected by this disease in the best possible way. All this “works” in the short term with the primary objective of restoring social life and returning to “normal” as soon as possible. However, a health and social system aspiring to lay the foundations for real economic, organizational, and financial sustainability in a time of crisis must be able to provide itself with a vision in terms of programming and planning, which goes beyond the mere logic of the emergency and therefore of the short term, looking at the challenges awaiting in the medium and long term. In recent years, the public health scenario in Europe has changed significantly: scientific progress, continually evolving research, and the development of new technologies and innovative drugs and medical devices have led to a marked improvement in patients’ quality of life and life expectancy.

 The intent of this Special Issue is to gather the experiences and the first analyses related to the COVID-19 pandemic—in particular from the different branches that fall into the broader category of social medicine: occupational medicine, forensic medicine, hygiene and preventive medicine in the first place, followed by cardiology, emergency medicine, ophthalmology, and all the branches that fight daily to reduce the social assistance burden of diseases with a high disabling impact.

Prof. Dr. Vincenzo Russo
Dr. Francesco Saverio Mennini 
Dr. Luca Coppeta
Guest Editors

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