Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

April 1, 2020

Impact of COVID-19 on psychiatric assessment in emergency and outpatient settings measured using electronic health records.

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  • Castro and Perlis analyzed the narrative clinical notes on psychiatric symptoms to quantify the impact of increasing COVID-19 infection on extent of psychiatric assessment in emergency departments and outpatient settings across 5 Eastern Massachusetts hospitals. They report a sharp decline in notes referencing depression or anxiety in outpatients’ settings and emergency departments in the face of increasing coronavirus infection in Massachusetts. 
  • They conclude that the presence of COVID-19 not only exacerbates psychiatric symptoms but also potentially interferes with health systems’ capacity to manage such conditions.

Castro and Perlis. (Mar 30, 2020). Impact of COVID-19 on psychiatric assessment in emergency and outpatient settings measured using electronic health records. Pre-print downloaded Apr 1, from https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.03.30.20048207