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The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Psychiatric Emergency Service Volume and Hospital Admissions.
Simpson, Scott A; Loh, Ryan M; Cabrera, Maximilliam; Cahn, Megan; Gross, Anne; Hadley, Allison; Lawrence, Ryan E.
  • Simpson SA; Department of Behavioral Health Services, Denver Health, Denver, CO. Electronic address: scott.simpson@dhha.org.
  • Loh RM; Department of Behavioral Health Services, Denver Health, Denver, CO.
  • Cabrera M; University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO.
  • Cahn M; Legacy Research Institute, Legacy Health, Portland, OR.
  • Gross A; Department of Psychiatry, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR.
  • Hadley A; Department of Psychiatry, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR.
  • Lawrence RE; Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York City, NY.
J Acad Consult Liaison Psychiatry ; 62(6): 588-594, 2021.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1246008
ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been an increasing number of emergency department visits for behavioral health reasons, even as overall emergency department volumes have decreased. The impact of the pandemic and related public health interventions on specialized psychiatric emergency services has not been described. These services provide high-intensity care for severely ill patients who are likely to be homeless and underserved.

OBJECTIVE:

We describe the change in total volume and psychiatric hospitalization rates among three psychiatric emergency services across the United States.

METHODS:

Changes in volumes and hospitalization were assessed for statistical significance using a seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average with exogenous factors model from January 2018 to December 2020.

RESULTS:

The pandemic's impact on volumes and hospitalization varied by site. In Denver (CO), there was a statistically significant 9% decrease in overall volumes, although an 18% increase in hospitalizations was not significant. In New York City (NY), there was a significant 7% decrease in volumes as well as a significant 6% decrease in hospitalizations. In Portland (OR), volumes decreased by 4% and hospitalizations increased by 6% although differences did not reach statistical significance.

CONCLUSIONS:

There has been a decrease in volume at these services after the pandemic, but there are substantial variations in the magnitude of change and demand for hospitalization by region. These findings suggest a need to understand where patients in crisis are seeking care and how systems of care must adapt to changing utilization in the pandemic era.
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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Emergency Services, Psychiatric / COVID-19 Type of study: Experimental Studies / Observational study Limits: Humans Country/Region as subject: North America Language: English Journal: J Acad Consult Liaison Psychiatry Year: 2021 Document Type: Article

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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Emergency Services, Psychiatric / COVID-19 Type of study: Experimental Studies / Observational study Limits: Humans Country/Region as subject: North America Language: English Journal: J Acad Consult Liaison Psychiatry Year: 2021 Document Type: Article