Abstract
Use of Emergency Departments (EDs) for psychiatric complaints has increased significantly in past decades. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic saw large shifts in ED usage, with a relative increase in mental health complaints in EDs. This paper will investigate the difference in ED wait times for psychiatric and non-psychiatric complaints over this period. Utilized National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS), from 2019 to 2021, for average wait times for psychiatric versus non-psychiatric complaints. Compared the average wait times for psychiatric complaints by region, triage status, and ICD-10 F code. There was no significant difference in the average wait times overall between these conditions (P = 0.57). People with schizophrenia or psychosis had a significantly higher wait time (P = 0.03) compared to mental health symptoms secondary to physiologic conditions. Northeastern American EDs also had prolonged wait times for psychiatric conditions (P < 0.01) Research into factors of prolonged wait times can advise quality improvements such as the implementation of evidence-based triage and workup tools, and directed psychiatric education.
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