(PS9-D82) Mental Health Admissions to a Pediatric Emergency Department: A Look at the Magnitude and Temporality of Presentations During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Suicide is among the leading cause of death in pediatric populations, and emergency departments (EDs) in the United States serve as an important safety net for pediatric mental health concerns. Previous research has shown a correlation between rates of pediatric suicide and suicidal ideation with times of the year in which school is in session. This study aims to better characterize and understand the temporality of pediatric mental health and suicide-related presentations at a children’s hospital in the Southwest United States. The results will help determine the magnitude and types of resources necessary to help meet the mental health needs of children in the area and in similar diverse urban settings. This study is a retrospective quantitative analysis to understand the temporality of pediatric mental health and suicide-related presentations to the ED from 2021-2022. Chi-square analysis will be used to examine and visualize how presentations vary across days of the week and months of the year. Additionally, this study seeks to characterize the sub-population of patients that were admitted multiple times during the study duration. Given these data were collected during the COVID-19 era, this study will also explore similarities and differences in the trends of pre-COVID extant research.

Moreover, with increasing rates of mental health diagnoses and emergencies amongst children and adolescents, it is important to ensure adequate availability of mental health resources. This study is being conducted in a state with over 200 Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) as designated by the Health Resources and Services Administration; a disproportionally high number compared to the state’s population. Characterizing this population of patients, many of whom may not become connected with adequate resources to meet their mental health needs after a single ED visit, will allow for the identification of specific gaps in our system of mental health care, including but not limited to shortages of providers. Subsequently, targeted strategies to address gaps between crisis and linkage to care can be devised and implemented. In addition to improved patient care, a long-term goal of this work is to reduce the burden on the emergency department and on providers during times of heightened mental health emergencies.

Data gathered for clinical purposes estimates approximately 3,000 suicide-related ED presentations over a 12-month period spanning from 2021 to 2022. In accordance with previously published literature, we hypothesize that presentation rates will correlate with the timing of the school year at our institution. Due to recent staffing changes, the proposal for this study is currently pending IRB approval.