Primary care for depression before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a retrospective pre-post study.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

To compare primary care for depression among patients detected in the first 21 months of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic to patients detected pre-pandemic, and examine whether depression care was associated with patient characteristics.

Design

Retrospective pre-post study using de-identified data from electronic medical record data from the Canadian Primary Care Sentinel Surveillance Network (CPCSSN).

Setting

Primary care clinics enrolled in CPCSSN from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2021.

Population

Patients with a valid CPCSSN case definition of depression detected between 01 January 2018 and 31 December 2021 were included in the cohort and categorised by detection date (pre-pandemic or during Canadian pandemic waves).

Outcome measures

Primary care e

SUBMITTER: Howard M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12815028 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature