A Comparison of Acute Mental Health Presentations to Emergency Services Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND: This study aimed to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic affected youth presentations to the Emergency Department's psychiatric service and how many warranted an inpatient and acute residential admission. METHODS: This cross-sectional study examined the patients (youth ages 3 to 18 years) evaluated at Hasbro Children's Hospital's Emergency Department by Lifespan's Pediatric Behavioral Health Emergency Service (LPBHES) over four months, March through June, of years 2019, 2020, and 2021. The sample was categorized into two groups Children ages 3 to 11 years and adolescents ages 12 to 18 years. RESULTS: Youth evaluated by LPBHES showed an increase in acuity, where 11% more children and 12% more adolescents met criteria for inpatient and acute residential admission from years 2019 to 2020. This increase was observed despite fewer overall LPBHES evaluations. CONCLUSION: Future directions include prospective studies that explore the barriers to youth receiving the appropriate level of outpatient mental health services to prevent acute mental health crises.