Observational studyEuropean archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience2024
Reductions in inpatient and outpatient mental health care in germany during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic - What can we learn for a better crisis preparedness?
Observational study in European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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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.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Utilization of mental health services during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic - a systematic review and meta-analysis.European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists · 2026Pooled it
- [Utilization of mental health services in Germany during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic-Systematic review and meta-analysis].Der Nervenarzt · 2025Pooled it
- [Estimations of incidences of mental disorders in statutory health insurance routine data: methodology and trends from 2006 to 2022].Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz · 2025Article
- [Mental health and mental healthcare as elements of pandemic and crisis preparedness].Der Nervenarzt · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
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Abstract
backgroundDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, reports from several European mental health care systems hinted at important changes in utilization. So far, no study examined changes in utilization in the German mental health care inpatient and outpatient mental health care system comprehensively.
methodsThis longitudinal observational study used claims data from two major German statutory health insurances, AOK PLUS and BKK, covering 162,905 inpatients and 2,131,186 outpatients with mental disorders nationwide. We analyzed changes in inpatient and outpatient mental health service utilization over the course of the first two lockdown phases (LDPs) of the pandemic in 2020 compared to a pre-COVID-19 reference period dating from March 2019 to February 2020 using a time series forecast model.
resultsWe observed significant decreases in the number of inpatient hospital admissions by 24-28% compared to the reference period. Day clinic admissions were even further reduced by 44-61%. Length of stay was significantly decreased for day clinic care but not for inpatient care. In the outpatient sector, the data showed a significant reduction in the number of incident outpatient diagnoses.
conclusionIndirect evidence regarding the consequences of the reductions in both the inpatient and outpatient sector of care described in this study is ambiguous and direct evidence on treatment outcomes and quality of trans-sectoral mental healthcare is sparse. In line with WHO and OECD we propose a comprehensive mental health system surveillance to prepare for a better oversight and thereby a better resilience during future global major disruptions.
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