Management of a Psychiatry Inpatient Unit During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Audit of Services

To evaluate the demographic and clinical profiles of patients admitted to the psychiatry ward during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and compare with profiles of patients admitted 1 year before the onset of the pandemic (ie, before the lockdown announcement in India). An additional objective was to evaluate the incidence of COVID-19 infection in the psychiatry inpatient unit and discuss the measures taken to run the unit during the pandemic, including the measures taken if any patient or staff member was detected to have COVID-19 infection.

This retrospective study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital in North India. Data of patients admitted to the inpatient unit from March 24, 2019, to March 23, 2020, were compared with data from March 24, 2020, to March 23, 2021. The data were extracted from the inpatient registry.

Compared to the pre-pandemic period, fewer patients were admitted during the pandemic, and the patients admitted had more severe illness. During the ongoing pandemic, the incidence of COVID-19 infection among the residents was 5%, nursing staff was 4.7%, and support staff was 6.66%. The incidence rate of COVID-19 among the patients was 3.2%. Patients were not found to be the primary source of infection; on the other hand, COVID-positive status among the health care professionals was responsible for patients becoming infected.

During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, psychiatry inpatient facility can be managed with reduced capacity and by following COVD-19 protocol.