Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36792989›Full record

Observational studyBMC emergency medicine2023

Changes in emergency psychiatric consultations in time of COVID-19: a retrospective observational study in the Verona Academic Hospital over the two pandemic years 2020-2021.

Luca Bodini, Chiara Bonetto, Antonio Maccagnani, Antonio Bonora, Enrico Polati, Giorgio Ricci, Ciro Paolillo, Francesco Amaddeo, Antonio Lasalvia

Abstract readObservational Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Observational study in BMC emergency medicine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Observational
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Luca BodiniSection of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
Chiara BonettoSection of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
Antonio MaccagnaniUOC Pronto Soccorso, Policlinico "G.B. Rossi", DAI Emergenza e Terapie Intensive, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata (AOUI) di Verona, Verona, Italy.
Antonio BonoraUOC Pronto Soccorso, Policlinico "G.B. Rossi", DAI Emergenza e Terapie Intensive, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata (AOUI) di Verona, Verona, Italy.
Enrico PolatiDepartment of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care B, University of Verona, DAI Emergenza e Terapie Intensive, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata (AOUI) di Verona, Verona, Italy.
Giorgio RicciUOC Pronto Soccorso, Ospedale Civile Maggiore, DAI Emergenza e Terapie Intensive, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata (AOUI) di Verona, Verona, Italy.
Ciro PaolilloUOC Pronto Soccorso, Ospedale Civile Maggiore, DAI Emergenza e Terapie Intensive, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata (AOUI) di Verona, Verona, Italy.
Francesco AmaddeoSection of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
Antonio LasalviaSection of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy. antonio.lasalvia@univr.it.ORCID 0000-0001-9963-6081

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDuring the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, local health authorities in most Italian regions prescribed a reduction of ordinary outpatient and community mental health care. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on access to the emergency departments (ED) for psychiatric consultation in the pandemic years 2020 and 2021 compared to 2019.

methodsThis is a retrospective study conducted by using routinely collected administrative data of the two EDs of the Verona Academic Hospital Trust (Verona, Italy). All ED psychiatry consultations registered from 01.01.2020 to 31.12.2021 were compared with those registered in the pre-pandemic year (01.01.2019 to 31.12.2019). The association between each recorded characteristic and the year considered was estimated by chi-square or Fisher's exact test.

resultsA significant reduction was observed between 2020 and 2019 (-23.3%) and between 2021 and 2019 (-16.3%). This reduction was most evident in the lockdown period of 2020 (-40.3%) and in the phase corresponding to the second and third pandemic waves (-36.1%). In 2021, young adults and people with diagnosis of psychosis showed an increase in requests for psychiatric consultation.

conclusionsFear of contagion may have been an important factor in the overall reduction in psychiatric consultations. However, psychiatric consultations for people with psychosis and for young adults increased. This finding underlines the need for mental health services to implement alternative outreach strategies aimed to support, in times of crisis, these vulnerable segments of the population.

Indexed as

COVID-19Communicable Disease ControlEmergency Service, HospitalHospitalsHumansPandemicsReferral and ConsultationRetrospective StudiesYoung AdultCoronavirusCOVID-19Emergency departmentLockdownMental healthOutbreak

Identifiers

PMID36792989
PMCPMC9930055

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.