Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Mental Health
Date Submitted: Sep 16, 2023
Date Accepted: Dec 28, 2023
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Digital health in the management of depressive episodes in Catalonia’s primary care: retrospective observational study
ABSTRACT
Background:
The reasons for mental health consultations are becoming increasingly relevant in primary care. The Catalan healthcare system is undergoing a process of digital transformation, where digital health tools and especially telemedicine are becoming increasingly relevant in routine clinical practice.
Objective:
To analyse the approach to depressive episodes and the role of digital health in the Catalan healthcare system.
Methods:
A retrospective observational study of diagnostic codes related to depressive episodes and mood disorders between 2017 and 2022. Prevalences of diagnostic codes were calculated over the years. The sociodemographic variables were described according to attendance. A logistic regression model was performed to observe the effect on face-to-face attendance.
Results:
There was an 86.6% increase in the prevalence of depressive episodes and mood disorders. While telehealth accounted for 4.34% of total visits in 2017, it accounted for more than a quarter (26.3%) in 2022. Men (OR:1.06; 95%CI:1.04;1.09) and younger people were more likely to have a telematic consultation during 2022. Moreover, those who relied more on non-face-to-face channels were more likely to use antidepressants (OR:1.54; 95%CI:1.50;1.57) or anxiolytics (OR:1.06; 95%CI:1.03;1.09).
Conclusions:
Digital health tools are increasingly gaining importance in everyday clinical practice within Catalonia’s public healthcare system. In the case of depressive episodes, they have already become a well-established reality.
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