THE ASSESSMENT OF THE SEVERITY OF ILLNESS TO THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT FOR PSYCHIATRIC ASSESSMENT

ABSTRACT

COVID-19 has had a profound effect on our mental health services. In a short period of time, mental health services have had to re-configure to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2. This has resulted in the closure of day services, reduced in-person psychiatric support and social isolation, leaving some of society's most vulnerable in crisis. The purpose of this study is to identify any differences in the number and severity of emergency presentations to the Emergency Department (ED). The study is a retrospective review of the log of patients referred to the liaison psychiatry team at an Inner-City Dublin hospital from the ED or inpatients wards where self-harm was the reason for admission. Three timeframes were chosen between January and June 2020 a baseline group (T1), lockdown (T2) and re-opening of society (T3). Severity of presentation was measured using the Threshold Assessment Grid1. (TAG) and DUNDRUM readmission scales2. from the anonymised database (n=306). Data were analysed using the application SPSS. There was a significant increase in self-harm presentations in T2 and T3 (T2 - 55.1% n=27 & T3 - 38.1% n=16) with the highest incidence during the first lockdown (T2). Psychiatric admissions rose during the pandemic, highest in T3 with an admission rate of 26.8% (n=11) compared to baseline (19.9%, n=39 T1, p value 0.733). The results demonstrate the impact of the first few months of the COVID- 19 pandemic on psychiatric services. Further research is required to fully understand the impact and the needs of this population. (Table Presented).