COVID-19 pandemic and emergency department visits for psychosis: Visit volume, restraint use, medication use, psychiatric hospitalization, and length of stay.
Antipsychotic
Covid-19
Emergency visit
Inpatient hospitalization
Psychosis
Restraint
Journal
Schizophrenia research
ISSN: 1573-2509
Titre abrégé: Schizophr Res
Pays: Netherlands
ID NLM: 8804207
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
10 Apr 2024
10 Apr 2024
Historique:
received:
04
01
2023
revised:
07
07
2023
accepted:
14
02
2024
medline:
12
4
2024
pubmed:
12
4
2024
entrez:
11
4
2024
Statut:
aheadofprint
Résumé
Individuals with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder were at heightened risk for interruptions in psychiatric care during the coronavirus-19 (COVID 19) pandemic. There is limited work exploring the pandemic's impact on emergency department (ED) visit volume, use of restraint and parenteral medications, inpatient psychiatric (IP) hospitalization, and ED length of stay (LOS) among this population. We retrospectively examined 2134 ED visits with a billing code for psychosis between March 1, 2019-February 28, 2021. We used Poisson regression analysis to compare ED visit volume between the pandemic and pre-pandemic periods. Restraint use, parenteral antipsychotic or benzodiazepine use, IP hospitalization, and ED LOS were compared between the two periods using chi-square tests and independent samples t-tests. Overall volume of psychosis-related ED visits during the pandemic did not differ significantly from the prior year. Rates of restraint use (16.2 % vs 11.6 %, p < .01), parenteral antipsychotic (22.6 % vs 14.9, p < .001), and parenteral benzodiazepine (22.3 % vs 16.3 %, p < .001) use were significantly higher during the pandemic. Fewer patients had an IP hospital disposition during the pandemic than the year prior (57.8 % vs. 61.9 %, p < .05). ED LOS was longer during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic (28.37 h vs 20.26 h, p < .001). Although the volume of psychosis-related ED visits remained constant, restraint and parenteral medication use rates were significantly higher during the pandemic. ED LOS increased but fewer ED visits resulted in IP hospitalization. These findings underscore the importance of planning for increased acuity of psychosis ED presentations during public health emergencies.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
BACKGROUND
Individuals with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder were at heightened risk for interruptions in psychiatric care during the coronavirus-19 (COVID 19) pandemic. There is limited work exploring the pandemic's impact on emergency department (ED) visit volume, use of restraint and parenteral medications, inpatient psychiatric (IP) hospitalization, and ED length of stay (LOS) among this population.
METHODS
METHODS
We retrospectively examined 2134 ED visits with a billing code for psychosis between March 1, 2019-February 28, 2021. We used Poisson regression analysis to compare ED visit volume between the pandemic and pre-pandemic periods. Restraint use, parenteral antipsychotic or benzodiazepine use, IP hospitalization, and ED LOS were compared between the two periods using chi-square tests and independent samples t-tests.
RESULTS
RESULTS
Overall volume of psychosis-related ED visits during the pandemic did not differ significantly from the prior year. Rates of restraint use (16.2 % vs 11.6 %, p < .01), parenteral antipsychotic (22.6 % vs 14.9, p < .001), and parenteral benzodiazepine (22.3 % vs 16.3 %, p < .001) use were significantly higher during the pandemic. Fewer patients had an IP hospital disposition during the pandemic than the year prior (57.8 % vs. 61.9 %, p < .05). ED LOS was longer during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic (28.37 h vs 20.26 h, p < .001).
CONCLUSIONS
CONCLUSIONS
Although the volume of psychosis-related ED visits remained constant, restraint and parenteral medication use rates were significantly higher during the pandemic. ED LOS increased but fewer ED visits resulted in IP hospitalization. These findings underscore the importance of planning for increased acuity of psychosis ED presentations during public health emergencies.
Identifiants
pubmed: 38603838
pii: S0920-9964(24)00053-7
doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2024.02.017
pii:
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
301-307Informations de copyright
Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts
Declaration of competing interest The authors of this manuscript have no conflicts of interest to disclose.