Emergency department utilization for mental health conditions before and after the COVID-19 outbreak.
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ABSTRACT: Introduction
The outbreak of COVID-19 disrupted lives across the United States. Evidence shows that such a climate is deleterious to mental health and may increase demand for mental health services in emergency departments. The purpose of this study was to determine the difference in emergency department utilization for mental health diagnoses before and after the COVID-19 surge.Methods
We conducted a cross-sectional study between January-August 2019 and January-August 2020 with emergency department encounter as the sampling unit. The primary outcome was the proportion of all emergency department encounters attributed to mental health. We performed chi-square analyses to evaluate the differences between 2019 and 2020.Results
We found that overall emergency department volume declined between 2019 and 2020, while the proportion attributable to mental health conditions increased (p < 0.01). Substance abuse, anxiety, and mood disorders accounted for nearly 90% of mental health diagnoses during both periods. When stratified by sex, substance abuse was the leading mental health diagnosis for males and anxiety and substance abuse disorders combined accounted for the largest proportion for females.Discussion
The emergency department is an important community resource for the identification and triage of mental health emergencies. This role is even more important during disasters and extended crises, making it imperative that emergency departments employ experienced mental health staff. This study provides a comparison of emergency department utilization for mental health diagnoses before the pandemic and during the spring 2020 surge and may serve as a useful guide for hospitals, health systems and communities in future planning.
SUBMITTER: Stroever S
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8010358 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:BackgroundAs the emergency department (ED) has evolved into the de-facto site of care for a variety of substance use disorder (SUD) presentations, trends in ED utilization are an essential public health surveillance tool. Changes in ED visit patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic may reflect changes in access to outpatient treatment, changes in SUD incidence, or the unintended effects of public policy to mitigate COVID-19. We use a national emergency medicine registry to describe and characterize trends in ED visitation for SUDs since 2019.MethodsWe included all ED visits identified in a national emergency medicine clinical quality registry, which included 174 sites across 33 states with data from January 2019 through June 2021. We defined SUD using ED visit diagnosis codes including: opioid overdose and opioid use disorder (OUD), alcohol use disorders (AUD), and other SUD. To characterize changes in ED utilization, we plotted the 3-week moving average ratio of visit counts in 2020 and 2021 as compared to visit counts in 2019.FindingsWhile overall ED visits declined in the early pandemic period and had not returned to 2019 baseline by June 2021, ED visit counts for SUD demonstrated smaller declines in March and April of 2020, so that the proportion of overall ED visits that were for SUD increased. Furthermore, in the second half of 2020, ED visits for SUD returned to baseline, and increased above baseline for OUD ever since May 2020.ConclusionsWe observe distinct patterns in ED visitation for SUDs over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly for OUD for which ED visitation barely declined and now exceeds previous baselines. These trends likely demonstrate the essential role of hospital-based EDs in providing 24/7/365 care for people with SUDs and mental health conditions. Allocation of resources must be directed towards the ED as a de-facto safety net for populations in crisis.
| S-EPMC8757912 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectivesTo describe pediatric mental health emergency department (ED) visit rates and visit characteristics before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study of ED visits by children 5-17 years old with a primary mental health diagnosis from March 2018 to February 2021 at a 10-hospital health system and a children's hospital in the Chicago area. We compared demographic and clinical characteristics of children with mental health ED visits before and during the pandemic. We conducted an interrupted time series analysis to determine changes in visit rates.ResultsWe identified 8,127 pediatric mental health ED visits (58.5% female, 54.3% White, Not Hispanic/Latino and 42.4% age 13-15). During the pandemic, visits for suicide or self-injury increased 6.69% (95% CI 4.73, 8.65), and visits for disruptive, impulse control, conduct disorders increased 1.94% (95% CI 0.85, 3.03). Mental health ED visits by children with existing mental health diagnoses increased 2.29% (95% CI 0.34, 4.25). Mental health ED visits that resulted in medical admission increased 4.32% (95% CI 3.11, 5.53). The proportion of mental health ED visits at community hospitals increased by 5.49% (95% CI 3.31, 7.67). Mental health ED visit rates increased at the onset of the pandemic (adjusted incidence rate ratio [aIRR] 1.27, 95% CI 1.06, 1.50), followed by a monthly increase thereafter (aIRR 1.04, 95% CI 1.02, 1.06).ConclusionMental health ED visit rates by children increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Changes in mental health ED visit characteristics during the pandemic may inform interventions to improve children's mental health.
| S-EPMC9164513 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundReports on longitudinal trends in mental health-related (MHR) emergency department (ED) utilization spanning the pre- and post-pandemic periods are lacking, along with evidence comparing healthcare services utilization by sociodemographic subgroups. The aim of this study was to evaluate COVID-19-associated changes in MHR ED utilization among youth overall and by age, sex, and socio-economic status (SES).MethodsThis retrospective cross-sectional study analyzed MHR ED utilization before and during the COVID-19 pandemic at a large urban pediatric tertiary care hospital in Montréal, Canada. All ED visits for children (5-11 years) and adolescents (12-17 years) between April 1, 2016 and November 30, 2021 were included. The main outcome was the monthly count of MHR ED visits. Pre-pandemic and pandemic periods were compared using an interrupted time series design. The effect of seasonality (in months), age (in years), sex (male or female), and SES (low, average, high) were compared using a generalized additive model.ResultsThere were a total of 437,147 ED visits (204,215 unique patients) during the 5-year study period of which 9748 (5.8%) were MHR visits (7,686 unique patients). We observed an increase of 69% (95% CI, + 53% to + 85%; p = 0.001) in the mean monthly count of MHR ED visits during the pandemic period, which remained significant after adjusting for seasonality (44% increase, 95% CI, + 38% to + 51%; p = 0.001). The chance of presenting for a MHR ED visit increased non-linearly with age. There were increased odds of presenting for a MHR ED visit among girls between the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods (OR 1.42, 95% CI 1.29-1.56). No difference by SES group during and before the COVID-19 pandemic was found [OR 1.01, 95% CI 0.89-1.15 (low); OR 1.09, 95% CI 0.96-1.25 (high)].ConclusionsOur study shows important increases in MHR ED utilization among youth, and especially among girls, during the first 20 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the need for sustained, targeted and scalable mental health resources to support youth mental health during the current and future crises.
| S-EPMC9191527 | biostudies-literature
Project description:PurposeThe purpose of this study was to compare pre/post-COVID-19 changes in mental health-related emergency department visits among adolescents.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective analysis of all mental health-related emergency department visits in two large tertiary pediatric hospital centers between January 2018 and December 2020. We described monthly pre/post-COVID-19 changes in frequency and proportion of mental health visits as well as changes in hospitalization rates for eating disorders, suicidality, substance use, and other mental health conditions.ResultsWe found an increase in the proportion of mental health-related emergency department visits during the months of July-December 2020 (p < .01). There was a 62% increase in eating disorder visits between 2018-2019 and 2020 (p < .01). No pre pandemic/postpandemic changes were found in the proportion of visits resulting in hospitalization for any of the four diagnostic categories.ConclusionsOur study suggests significant impacts of COVID-19 on adolescent mental health and a need for further longitudinal research work in this area.
| S-EPMC8421028 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ImportanceThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, associated mitigation measures, and social and economic impacts may affect mental health, suicidal behavior, substance use, and violence.ObjectiveTo examine changes in US emergency department (ED) visits for mental health conditions (MHCs), suicide attempts (SAs), overdose (OD), and violence outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic.Design, setting, and participantsThis cross-sectional study used data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Syndromic Surveillance Program to examine national changes in ED visits for MHCs, SAs, ODs, and violence from December 30, 2018, to October 10, 2020 (before and during the COVID-19 pandemic). The National Syndromic Surveillance Program captures approximately 70% of US ED visits from more than 3500 EDs that cover 48 states and Washington, DC.Main outcomes and measuresOutcome measures were MHCs, SAs, all drug ODs, opioid ODs, intimate partner violence (IPV), and suspected child abuse and neglect (SCAN) ED visit counts and rates. Weekly ED visit counts and rates were computed overall and stratified by sex.ResultsFrom December 30, 2018, to October 10, 2020, a total of 187 508 065 total ED visits (53.6% female and 46.1% male) were captured; 6 018 318 included at least 1 study outcome (visits not mutually exclusive). Total ED visit volume decreased after COVID-19 mitigation measures were implemented in the US beginning on March 16, 2020. Weekly ED visit counts for all 6 outcomes decreased between March 8 and 28, 2020 (March 8: MHCs = 42 903, SAs = 5212, all ODs = 14 543, opioid ODs = 4752, IPV = 444, and SCAN = 1090; March 28: MHCs = 17 574, SAs = 4241, all ODs = 12 399, opioid ODs = 4306, IPV = 347, and SCAN = 487). Conversely, ED visit rates increased beginning the week of March 22 to 28, 2020. When the median ED visit counts between March 15 and October 10, 2020, were compared with the same period in 2019, the 2020 counts were significantly higher for SAs (n = 4940 vs 4656, P = .02), all ODs (n = 15 604 vs 13 371, P < .001), and opioid ODs (n = 5502 vs 4168, P < .001); counts were significantly lower for IPV ED visits (n = 442 vs 484, P < .001) and SCAN ED visits (n = 884 vs 1038, P < .001). Median rates during the same period were significantly higher in 2020 compared with 2019 for all outcomes except IPV.Conclusions and relevanceThese findings suggest that ED care seeking shifts during a pandemic, underscoring the need to integrate mental health, substance use, and violence screening and prevention services into response activities during public health crises.
| S-EPMC7859873 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic in Italy represents a unique threat in terms of psychological distress. This cross-sectional study aims to investigate the psychological health of Italian healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 outbreak. We assessed participants' current psychological distress and coping strategies in the midst of the COVID outbreak (March-April 2020), and also asked them to retrospectively report how they remember feeling before the COVID-19 outbreak (December 2019). We examined associations between psychological distress and coping strategies with mental health and infection perceptions.MethodsSelf-administered questionnaires were distributed online to healthcare professionals (N = 580) residing in different Italian regions from 26 March to 9 April 2020. The questionnaire measured changes in psychological states, coping strategies, and demographic variables testing variations in mental health and infection risk perception among Italian healthcare workers.ResultsOverall, approximately 33.5 per cent of healthcare professionals in our sample meet the threshold for psychiatric morbidity. Participants perceive their current psychological health to be worse during the COVID-19 emergency outbreak as compared to before the outbreak, and this was especially true among women.ConclusionsBoth immediate and long-term monitoring psychological assistance services for healthcare workers should be implemented by national institutions to re-establish the psychological well-being and enhance the self-confidence and resilience of hospital personnel.
| S-EPMC7675316 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundThe 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.MethodsWe 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.ResultsA 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%).ConclusionThere 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.
| S-EPMC9051864 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ImportanceNumerous studies have shown that the prevalence of mental health (MH) conditions worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further research is needed on this phenomenon over a longer time horizon that considers the increasing trend in MH conditions before the pandemic, after the pandemic onset, and after vaccine availability in 2021.ObjectiveTo track how patients sought help in emergency departments (EDs) for non-MH and MH conditions during the pandemic.Design, setting, and participantsThis cross-sectional study used administrative data on weekly ED visits and a subset of visits for MH from the National Syndromic Surveillance Program from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2021. Data were reported from the 10 US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regions (Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Kansas City, Denver, San Francisco, and Seattle) for five 11-week periods. Data analysis was performed in April 2023.Main outcomes and measuresWeekly trends in total ED visits, mean MH-related ED visits, and proportion of ED visits for MH conditions were investigated to determine changes in each measure after the pandemic onset. Prepandemic baseline levels were established from 2019 data, and time trends of these patterns were examined in the corresponding weeks of 2020 and 2021. A fixed-effects estimation approach with weekly ED region data by year was used.ResultsThere were 1570 total observations in this study (52 weeks in 2019, 53 weeks in 2020, and 52 weeks in 2021). Statistically significant changes in non-MH and MH-related ED visits were observed across the 10 HHS regions. The mean total number of ED visits decreased by 45 117 (95% CI, -67 499 to -22 735) visits per region per week (39% decrease; P = .003) in the weeks after the pandemic onset compared with corresponding weeks in 2019. The mean number of ED visits for MH conditions (-1938 [95% CI, -2889 to -987]; P = .003) decreased significantly less (23% decrease) than the mean number of total visits after the onset of the pandemic, increasing the mean (SD) proportion of MH-related ED visits from 8% (1%) in 2019 to 9% (2%) in 2020. In 2021, the mean (SD) proportion decreased to 7% (2%), and the mean number of total ED visits rebounded more than that of mean MH-related ED visits.Conclusions and relevanceIn this study, MH-related ED visits demonstrated less elasticity than non-MH visits during the pandemic. These findings highlight the importance of addressing the provision of adequate MH services, both in acute and outpatient settings.
| S-EPMC10336606 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ImportanceMany children and adolescents in the United States are exposed to neighborhood gun violence. Associations between violence exposure and children's short-term mental health are not well understood.ObjectiveTo examine the association between neighborhood gun violence and subsequent mental health-related pediatric emergency department (ED) utilization.Design, setting, and participantsThis location-based cross-sectional study included 128 683 ED encounters for children aged 0 to 19 years living in 12 zip codes in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who presented to an urban academic pediatric ED from January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2018. Children were included if they (1) had 1 or more ED visits in the 60 days before or after a neighborhood shooting and (2) lived within a quarter-mile radius of the location where this shooting occurred. Analysis began August 2020 and ended May 2021.ExposureNeighborhood violence exposure, as measured by whether a patient resided near 1 or more episodes of police-reported gun violence.Main outcomes and measuresED encounters for a mental health-related chief complaint or primary diagnosis.ResultsA total of 2629 people were shot in the study area between 2014 and 2018, and 54 341 children living nearby had 1 or more ED visits within 60 days of a shooting. The majority of these children were Black (45 946 [84.5%]) and were insured by Medicaid (42 480 [78.1%]). After adjusting for age, sex, race and ethnicity, median household income by zip code, and insurance, children residing within one-eighth of a mile (2-3 blocks) of a shooting had greater odds of mental health-related ED presentations in the subsequent 14 days (adjusted odds ratio, 1.86 [95% CI, 1.20-2.88]), 30 days (adjusted odds ratio, 1.49 [95% CI, 1.11-2.03]), and 60 days (adjusted odds ratio, 1.35 [95% CI, 1.06-1.72]).Conclusions and relevanceExposure to neighborhood gun violence is associated with an increase in children's acute mental health symptoms. City health departments and pediatric health care systems should work together to provide community-based support for children and families exposed to violence and trauma-informed care for the subset of these children who subsequently present to the ED. Policies aimed at reducing children's exposure to neighborhood gun violence and mitigating the mental symptoms associated with gun violence exposure must be a public health priority.
| S-EPMC8453357 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic is affecting people's mental health worldwide. Patients with diabetes are at risk for a severe course of illness when infected with SARS-CoV-2. The present study aims to retrospectively examine mental health changes in patients with diabetes in Germany before and after the initial COVID-19 outbreak, and to furthermore explore potential predictors of such changes.MethodsOver the course of eight weeks from April to June 2020, 253 individuals diagnosed with diabetes participated in an online cross-sectional study. Participants completed an anonymous survey including demographics, depression (PHQ-2) and generalized anxiety symptoms (GAD-2), distress (DT), and health status (EQ-5D-3L). In addition, all instruments used were modified to retrospectively ask participants to recall their mental health and health status before the outbreak had started. Additionally examined factors were COVID-19-related fear, trust in governmental actions to face the pandemic, and the subjective level of information about COVID-19.ResultsThis study shows a significant increase in prevalence of depression symptoms, generalized anxiety symptoms and distress, as well as significantly decreased health statuses in diabetes patients after the initial COVID-19 outbreak. Increased depression symptoms, generalized anxiety symptoms and distress were predicted by COVID-19-related fear, whereas trust in governmental actions to face COVID-19 predicted higher depression symptoms.ConclusionsThe results indicate a negative impact of the initial COVID-19 outbreak on mental health and health status in patients with diabetes. In order to improve the efficacy of psychological support strategies for diabetes patients during the pandemic, possible predictors of mental health impairment such as the aforementioned should be examined more thoroughly and addressed more openly.
| S-EPMC8582238 | biostudies-literature