Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on Psychiatric Calls for UD EMS

Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on Psychiatric Calls for UD EMS

Presenter(s)

Danielle Carmela Brown, Avery Lyn Lewis

Comments

Presentation: 1:15 p.m.-2:30 p.m., Kennedy Union Ballroom

This project reflects research conducted as part of a course project designed to give students experience in the research process.

Course: MED 480

Description

Mental health has become increasingly discussed and studied in recent decades. The COVID-19 pandemic led to unprecedented times and numerous restraints for society as a whole, but specifically, for the education system and its students. From the pandemic, isolation periods, uncertainty in class format and structure, and fear of the future all contribute to mental stressors during this time. In a study conducted at Texas A&M University, 71% of college students indicated an increase of stress and anxiety due to the COVID-19 pandemic (Son et al., 2020). Additionally, nearly 20% of college students surveyed during the pandemic experienced suicidal thoughts or ideations (Wang et al., 2020). As students and collegiate EMS providers at the University of Dayton, we are interested in studying the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health crises which can be reflected by the amount of psychiatric calls for UD EMS. Specifically, the data, provided by UD EMS Assistant Chief of Operations, was drawn from 2018 through 2022 and compares the total number of EMS calls to the number of psychiatric calls throughout that period. During the 2020-2021 school year in the pandemic, UD EMS responded to a total of 7 psychiatric emergencies out of 110 total calls (6.36%). In January 2022 alone, UD EMS responded to 5 psychiatric emergencies out of 34 total calls (14.7%), which is the highest number ever recorded in a single month. These totals do not reflect the students with mental health crises that receive assistance from the University of Dayton Police Department without the intervention of UD EMS. The purpose of this poster is to recognize how COVID-19 has increased mental health issues on the University of Dayton’s campus and to provide a comprehensive guide of mental health resources available to students.https://www.jmir.org/2020/9/e21279/ https://www.jmir.org/2020/9/e22817/

Publication Date

4-20-2022

Project Designation

Course Project

Primary Advisor

Marylynn B. Herchline

Primary Advisor's Department

Premedical Programs

Keywords

Stander Symposium project, College of Arts and Sciences

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

Good Health and Well-Being

Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on Psychiatric Calls for UD EMS

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