REMOTE MENTAL HEALTHCARE BEFORE AND DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A RETROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL STUDY USING ROUTINE OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS

Background: Severe disruptions in mental healthcare services were reported during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, little data are available on whether services were able to maintain treatment efficacy during this period.Objective: The aims of this study were to 1) compare outpatient mental healthcare treatment effects before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and 2) explore whether the proportion of remote visits affected treatment outcomes. Methods: Using a clinical cohort from two outpatient mental healthcare clinics in Stockholm, Sweden, we analyzed data from 2,290 patients to compare treatment outcomes in years 2017 to 2019 (“before” the COVID-19 pandemic) vs. years 2020 to 2022 (“during” the COVID-19 pandemic). Primary outcomes were symptom reductions on patient-reported measures of depression, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Results: We found a significant increase of remote visits during the COVID-19 pandemic (OR=10.9, 95% CI[10.49-11.27]). There were no statistically significant differences on treatment outcomes in the periods before vs. during the pandemic for any of the disorders under study. The proportion of remote visits did not have an effect on treatment outcomes. Conclusions: This large-scale naturalistic study indicates that, despite unprecedented disruptions, clinical services were able to maintain treatment outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic.