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Evaluation of emergency department visits for mental health complaints during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sacco, Dana L; Probst, Marc A; Schultebraucks, Katharina; Greene, M Claire; Chang, Bernard P.
  • Sacco DL; Department of Emergency Medicine Columbia University Irving Medical Center New York City New York USA.
  • Probst MA; Department of Emergency Medicine Columbia University Irving Medical Center New York City New York USA.
  • Schultebraucks K; Department of Emergency Medicine Columbia University Irving Medical Center New York City New York USA.
  • Greene MC; Department of Psychiatry Columbia University Irving Medical Center New York City New York USA.
  • Chang BP; Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health New York City New York USA.
J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open ; 3(3): e12728, 2022 Jun.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1819356
ABSTRACT

Background:

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in over 6 million deaths worldwide as of March 2022. Adverse psychological effects on patients and the general public linked to the pandemic have been well documented.

Methods:

We conducted a retrospective analysis of adult emergency department (ED) encounters with diagnoses of anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes at a tertiary care hospital in New York City from March 15 through July 31, 2020 and compared it with ED encounters during the same time period in the previous 3 years (2017-2019). The relative risk (RR) of these diagnoses was calculated comparing a prepandemic sample to a pandemic sample, accounting for total volume of ED visits.

Results:

A total of 2816 patient encounters met the inclusion criteria. The study period in 2020 had 31.5% lower overall ED volume seen during the same time period in the previous 3 years (27,874 vs average 40,716 ED encounters). The risk of presenting with anxiety during the study period in 2020 compared to prior 3 years was 1.40 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.21-1.63), for depression was 1.47 (95% CI 1.28-1.69), and for suicidal ideation was 1.05 (95% CI 0.90-1.23). There was an increase in admissions for depression during the pandemic period (15.2% increase, 95% CI 4.6%-25.7%).

Conclusion:

There was a relative increase in patients presenting to the ED with complaints of anxiety and depression during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, while absolute numbers remained stable. Our results highlight the importance of acute care-based mental health resources and interventions to support patients during this pandemic.
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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Type of study: Experimental Studies / Observational study / Prognostic study Language: English Journal: J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open Year: 2022 Document Type: Article

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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Type of study: Experimental Studies / Observational study / Prognostic study Language: English Journal: J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open Year: 2022 Document Type: Article