Van den Broeck Kris, Morreel Stefan, Glazemakers Inge, Verhoeven Veronique, Rens Eva, Philips Hilde
Family Medicine and Population Health (FAMPOP), University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
Collaborative Antwerp Psychiatric Research Institute (CAPRI), University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
Front Health Serv. 2021 Nov 16;1:763739. doi: 10.3389/frhs.2021.763739. eCollection 2021.
Survey studies suggest that COVID-19 has had a negative impact on the population's mental well-being. Routine registration data allow a more objective way for investigating such associations, complementary to self-report measures. This study investigates the level of out of hours (OOH) consultations for psychological problems since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in Flanders, Belgium. The iCAREdata database is a clinical research database with routine data of OOH care, covering a large area in Flanders, Belgium. After defining the first wave and the second wave of COVID-19 in Flanders in time, we compared the number of consultations regarding psychological problems (in general, anxiety-related, depression-related, and sleep-related) between those periods, the period in between these waves, and the period before the start of COVID-19. A significant rise in OOH consultations due to psychological-and more specifically, anxiety-related-problems is observed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in Flanders. Elevated levels are observed until the second wave. This finding is in sharp contrast with the general pattern of lower demand for primary healthcare during this period. The majority of these supplementary consultations happened by phone. Consultations regarding depression-related problems did not change over time. Sleep disturbances in the OOH setting were more common after the first wave. Despite some limitations, a large Flemish database with routine data on OOH care shows an increase in the number of consultations regarding psychological problems in general and anxiety-related problems since the start of the COVID-19-pandemic until the second wave.
调查研究表明，新冠疫情对民众的心理健康产生了负面影响。常规登记数据为调查此类关联提供了一种更客观的方式，可作为自我报告测量的补充。本研究调查了自比利时弗拉芒地区新冠疫情开始以来，非工作时间（OOH）心理问题咨询的水平。iCAREdata数据库是一个临床研究数据库，包含非工作时间护理的常规数据，覆盖比利时弗拉芒地区的大片区域。在及时确定弗拉芒地区新冠疫情的第一波和第二波后，我们比较了这些时期、两波疫情之间的时期以及新冠疫情开始前的时期，关于心理问题（一般、焦虑相关、抑郁相关和睡眠相关）的咨询数量。自弗拉芒地区新冠疫情开始以来，观察到因心理问题，更具体地说是焦虑相关问题导致的非工作时间咨询显著增加。这种升高的水平一直持续到第二波疫情。这一发现与该时期初级医疗保健需求普遍较低的总体模式形成鲜明对比。这些补充咨询大多通过电话进行。与抑郁相关问题的咨询随时间没有变化。第一波疫情后，非工作时间环境中的睡眠障碍更为常见。尽管存在一些局限性，但一个包含非工作时间护理常规数据的大型弗拉芒数据库显示，自新冠疫情开始到第二波疫情期间，一般心理问题和焦虑相关问题的咨询数量有所增加。
