RT Journal Article
T1 Consumption of Psychiatric Drugs in Primary Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
A1 González-López, María Del Carmen
A1 Díaz-Calvo, Virginia
A1 Ruíz-González, Carlos
A1 Nievas-Soriano, Bruno José
A1 Rebollo-Lavado, Belén
A1 Parrón-Carreño, Tesifón
K1 COVID-19
K1 antidepressants
K1 anxiolytics
K1 drug consumption
K1 drug prescription
K1 hypnotic-sedatives
K1 primary health care
K1 psychiatric drugs
AB The main objective of this research was to analyze whether there were changes in the use of antidepressants, anxiolytics, and hypnotic-sedative drugs, in the context of primary health care, during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period. We further sought to study consumption in vulnerable population groups. A cross-sectional observational study was performed in a primary health district of Spain. The data were obtained from the Andalusian Public Health System database, for the pre-COVID-19 period, from March 2019 to February 2020, and for the COVID-19 period, from March 2020 to February 2021. Univariant and bivariant analyses were performed. The effect size was measured using the Rosenthal test. While the total number of medical prescriptions decreased by 2.5% in the COVID-19 period, the prescriptions of psychiatric drugs increased by 6.1%. The increase in the dose consumption per 1000 inhabitants (DHD) was highest for anxiolytics (7.2%), followed by hypnotic-sedatives (5.6%) and antidepressants (3.7%). The consumption of antidepressants, anxiolytics, and sedative-hypnotic drugs was higher in women, older people, and rural areas and lower in areas with social transformation needs, with these differences being statistically significant. The consumption of psychiatric drugs has increased over the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in women, older people, and rural areas. Thus, we should reflect on the adequate use of these drugs.
YR 2022
FD 2022-04-14
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10668/21060
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10668/21060
LA en
DS RISalud
RD Apr 12, 2025