Association Between Antidepressant Prescription and Post-COVID Services Utilization: An EHR-Based Event Analysis from the RECOVER Program

Poster Number: P108
Presentation Time: 05:00 PM - 06:30 PM

Abstract Keywords: Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology, Healthcare Economics/Cost of Care, Population Health, Disease Models, Real-World Evidence Generation
Primary Track: Applications
Programmatic Theme: Clinical Research Informatics

This study examines the association between antidepressant treatment and reduced healthcare services utilization following COVID-19 infection. Using large scale, routinely collected electronic health records from five health systems across NYC, patients on antidepressant treatment prior to COVID-19 infection had significantly fewer emergency department, inpatient, outpatient, and psychiatric visits post-infection compared to controls. These results suggest a potential off-label use for antidepressants in mitigating long-term COVID-19 symptoms and PASC, with future directions potentially examining dosage effects.

Speaker(s):
Veer Vekaria, BS
Weill Cornell Medicine / NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital