Changes in self-harm- and violence-related urgent psychiatric consultation in the emergency department during the different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic significantly affected emergency department (ED) visits and urgent psychiatric consultation (UPC) seeking behavior in EDs. Our study explored the changes in UPCs during and after the pandemic peak.

Methods

This retrospective observational study evaluated UPCs in the ED of a referral medical center in Taiwan, where treated both physical and psychiatric complaints. We defined the COVID-19 pandemic peak period as calendar week 4-18, 2020. The corresponding baseline as calendar week 4-18, 2019, and the slack period as week 4-18, 2021. The total number of UPCs, patient demographic data such as sex and age of the patients seen, the referral system (whether police or emergency medical service [EMS] or other sources), and the chief co

SUBMITTER: Liu CH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9171742 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature