Changes in psychiatric services dynamics during the COVID-19 pandemic: Recognizing the need for resources shift

Abstract

With the significant impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the health, and the functioning of health care system, it has become increasingly important to understand changes in the ways health services were utilized and the factors influencing it. Drop in psychiatric admissions was seen during the pandemic, but also an increase in acute hospitalizations and emergency visits. Our aim was to analyze changes in out- and in-patient services utilization in the largest Croatian psychiatric institution during the first year of the pandemic, observed through the lens of the stringency index, and compare it to the pre-pandemic year. Along with an overall drop in hospitalizations, but a unit-specific rise in hospitalization, we have observed a non-significant overall drop in regular outpatient visits, and a significant drop coinciding with strictest epidemiological measures. There was also a significant increase in emergency visits coinciding with epidemiological measures that failed to return to pre-pandemic values, pointing to an expected significant and prolonged burden on emergency services. Simultaneous analysis of changing dynamics of mental health care service utilization during the pandemic helps us identify specific points of increased burden, and help us plan for early and flexible resources shift in order to adequately respond to evolving challenges.