Consumption of Psychiatric Drugs in Primary Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic

María del Carmen González-López, Virginia Díaz-Calvo, Carlos Ruíz-González, Bruno José Nievas-Soriano, Belén Rebollo-Lavado and Tesifón Parrón-Carreño
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María del Carmen González-López: Primary Health Care District of Almeria, Andalusian Health Service, 04006 Almeria, Spain
Virginia Díaz-Calvo: Primary Health Care District of Almeria, Andalusian Health Service, 04006 Almeria, Spain
Carlos Ruíz-González: Primary Health Care District of Almeria, Andalusian Health Service, 04006 Almeria, Spain
Bruno José Nievas-Soriano: Department of Nursing Science, Physiotherapy and Medicine, University of Almería, 04006 Almeria, Spain
Belén Rebollo-Lavado: Neurology Department, Badajoz Universitary Hospital, 06080 Badajoz, Spain
Tesifón Parrón-Carreño: Department of Nursing Science, Physiotherapy and Medicine, University of Almería, 04006 Almeria, Spain

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 8, 1-12

Abstract: Background: 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. Methods: 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. Results: 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. Conclusions: 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.

Keywords: psychiatric drugs; primary health care; COVID-19; drug consumption; drug prescription; antidepressants; anxiolytics; hypnotic-sedatives (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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