Strategies for COVID-19 transmission control and mitigation in a psychiatric hospital in Mexico.

In the context of the emerging COVID-19 pandemic, one of the great challenges is to generate effective strategies for the control of nosocomial infections, specifically in psychiatric hospitals with populations considered at risk (older adults or individuals with comorbidities). This article describes the strategies for prevention, containment and treatment of infection transmission implemented during a COVID-19 outbreak that occurred in July 2020 in a psychiatric hospital of the State of Mexico. The population was comprised by women with prolonged hospital stay (mean = 24 years), mostly geriatric (mean = 64 years), with various psychiatric disorders and comorbidities. In total, 19 COVID-19-positive cases were diagnosed, out of which thirteen had mild symptoms and six were asymptomatic. There were no alterations in mental state, psychiatric symptoms or underlying diseases. Algorithms were developed for the management and treatment of suspected/confirmed COVID-19 cases. Finally, the generation of comprehensive strategies, quick and timely actions, as well as adequate management of human resources favoring interdisciplinary work, were deemed to have contributed to contain and mitigate the COVID-19 outbreak, which constitutes a precedent in the psychiatric field with institutionalized patients.

En el contexto de la emergente pandemia de COVID-19, uno de los grandes desafíos es generar estrategias eficaces de control de infecciones nosocomiales, específicamente en hospitales psiquiátricos con población considerada de riesgo (adultos mayores o con comorbilidades). En el presente artículo se describen las estrategias de prevención, contención y tratamiento de contagio, a partir de un brote de COVID-19 ocurrido en julio de 2020 en un hospital psiquiátrico del Estado de México. La población estuvo constituida por mujeres con estancia hospitalaria prolongada (media = 24 años), en su mayoría geriátricas (media = 64 años), con trastornos psiquiátricos diversos y comorbilidades. En total se diagnosticaron 19 casos positivos de COVID-19, de los cuales 13 cursaron con sintomatología leve y seis resultaron asintomáticos. No se presentaron alteraciones en el estado mental, en la sintomatología psiquiátrica ni en las enfermedades de base. Se realizaron algoritmos para el manejo y tratamiento de los casos sospechosos o confirmados de COVID-19. Finalmente, se consideró que la generación de estrategias integrales, acciones rápidas y oportunas, así como una adecuada gestión de recursos humanos favorecedora del trabajo interdisciplinario contribuyeron a contener y mitigar el brote de COVID-19, constituyéndose en un precedente en el ámbito psiquiátrico con pacientes institucionalizadas.

[Cost-effectiveness of anxiolytics in anxiety disorders]. / Costo-efectividad de ansiolíticos en los trastornos de ansiedad.

BACKGROUND: adequate treatment of anxiety disorders reduces the economic impact, improves functionality in daily life activities and quality of life. Pharmacologic treatment depends on patient's characteristics and doctor's experience. The aim of this study was to determine the use of resources in anxiety disorder and to analyze its cost-effectiveness. METHODS: use of resources related to chronic treatment of anxiety disorders and cost-effectiveness of drugs were determined, as well as patients' out-of-pocket expenses and productivity loss. A one-year time horizon and decision tree with benzodiazepines, selective inhibitor of serotonin re-intake (SISR) and tricyclic antidepressant drugs were included. RESULTS: benzodiazepines were the treatment that had the lowest total cost ($147,587 MXP), followed by SISR (incremental cost of $2,182 MXP), and the highest cost was tricyclic antidepressant drugs ($155,903 MXP). CONCLUSIONS: benzodiazepines are good alternative for anxiety disorder because of their high effectiveness to control symptoms and because they reduce hospital costs.

[Cost-effectiveness of two hospital care schemes for psychiatric disorders]. / Costo-efectividad de dos esquemas de atención hospitalaria psiquiátrica.

BACKGROUND: In Mexico, six of every twenty Mexicans suffer psychiatric disorders at some time in their lives. This disease ranks fifth in the country. The objective was to determine and compare the cost-effectiveness of two models for hospital care (partial and traditional) at a psychiatric hospital of Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS). METHODS: a multicenter study with a prospective cohort of 374 patients was performed. We made a cost-effectiveness analysis from an institutional viewpoint with a six-month follow-up. Direct medical costs were analyzed, with quality of life gains as outcome measurement. A decision tree and a probabilistic sensitivity analysis were used. RESULTS: patient care in the partial model had a cost 50 % lower than the traditional one, with similar results in quality of life. The cost per successful unit in partial hospitalization was 3359 Mexican pesos while in the traditional it increased to 5470 Mexican pesos. CONCLUSIONS: treating patients in the partial hospitalization model is a cost-effective alternative compared with the traditional model. Therefore, the IMSS should promote the infrastructure that delivers the psychiatric services to the patient attending to who requires it.

Introducción: en México, seis de cada veinte mexicanos presentan trastornos psiquiátricos alguna vez en la vida. Está enfermedad ocupa el quinto lugar en nuestro país. El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar y comparar el costo-efectividad de los dos modelos de atención médica hospitalaria (parcial y tradicional) del IMSS. Métodos: estudio multicéntrico, con cohorte prospectiva de 374 pacientes y análisis de costo-efectividad con perspectiva institucional y seguimiento de seis meses. Se analizaron los costos médicos directos, con la ganancia en calidad de vida como medida de resultados. Se empleó un árbol de decisiones y un análisis probabilístico de sensibilidad. Resultados: la atención de pacientes del modelo de hospitalización parcial implicó un costo 50 % menor al tradicional, con resultados similares en calidad de vida. El costo por unidad de éxito en hospitalización parcial fue de 3359, mientras que en tradicional se incrementó a 5470 (ambas cantidades en pesos mexicanos). Conclusiones: tratar a los pacientes en el modelo de hospitalización parcial es una alternativa costo-efectiva con respecto a la tradicional; el IMSS debe considerar la promoción de la infraestructura que permita ofrecer este servicio a los pacientes que lo requieran.