Healio (2/4, Gramigna) reports, “The COVID-19 pandemic appeared to shift ED use and priorities for care, particularly related to mental health, substance use and violence risk screening and prevention,” researchers concluded after capturing data on “187,508,065 ED visits, of which 6,018,318 included at least one study outcome, between December 30, 2018, and October 10, 2020.” After comparing “the median ED visit counts between March 15, 2020, and October 10, 2020, with the same period in 2019,” the study team “found that the 2020 counts were significantly higher for suicide attempts, all overdoses and opioid overdoses.” The findings were published online Feb. 3 in JAMA Psychiatry.
Related Links:
— “COVID-19 pandemic has shifted ED use related to mental health, substance use, violence “Joe Gramigna, Healio, February 4, 2021