Australasian psychiatry : bulletin of Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists
-
Australas Psychiatry · Dec 2020
Emergency department mental health presentations before and during the COVID-19 outbreak in Western Australia.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) has led to high levels of psychological distress in the community. This study aimed to examine whether emergency departments (EDs) also recorded a rise in mental health presentations. ⋯ A rise in local COVID-19 cases was associated with a decrease in mental health presentations to EDs. This has important implications for the planning and provision of healthcare services in the current pandemic.
-
Australas Psychiatry · Dec 2020
Private practice metropolitan telepsychiatry in smaller Australian jurisdictions during the COVID-19 pandemic: preliminary analysis of the introduction of new Medicare Benefits Schedule items.
To analyse the smaller Australian state/territory service impact of the introduction of new COVID-19 psychiatrist video and telephone telehealth Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) items. ⋯ In the smaller states/territories, the private practice workforce rapidly adopted COVID-19 MBS telehealth items, with the majority of psychiatric consultation shifting to telehealth initially, and then returning to face-to-face. With a second wave of COVID-19 in Australia, telehealth is likely to remain a vital part of the national mental health strategy.
-
Australas Psychiatry · Dec 2020
Private practice metropolitan telepsychiatry in larger Australian states during the COVID-19 pandemic: an analysis of the first 2 months of new MBS telehealth item psychiatrist services.
Private practice psychiatry in Australia was largely office-based until the Commonwealth Government introduced new psychiatrist Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) telehealth items in response to the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. We investigate the uptake of (1) video and telephone telehealth consultations in April-May 2020, and (2) the overall changing rates of consultation, i.e. total telehealth and in-person consultations across the larger states of Australia. ⋯ For large states, there has been a rapid adoption of the MBS telehealth psychiatrist items, followed by a trend back to face-to-face as COVID-19 new case rates reduced. There was an overall increased consultation rate (in-person plus telehealth) for April-May 2020.
-
Australas Psychiatry · Dec 2020
A hotel room on Mars: quarantine and the psychological view from the virtual front line.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the implementation of quarantine for returning travellers and the effect this has on people's mental health has become a topical issue. This article briefly describes the historical context of quarantine, research around its impact on people's well-being, and the experiences of a clinical psychologist providing support to people in quarantine. ⋯ Mental health professionals are in a unique position to assist people in quarantine, both in terms of counselling and ongoing research.