This study provides a blueprint for working with health system stakeholders and Patient Partners to use available data to understand the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of Nova Scotians, monitor how these changes impact the health system, and help to identify areas of need and guide planning and resource allocation as we navigate our ongoing response to the pandemic and look towards recovery.
To better understand the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of people living in Nova Scotia, this research project:
- Studied the self-reported impact that physical, social, and economic factors have had on the mental health of Nova Scotians during the COVID-19 pandemic using survey data.
- Examined trends in mental health service utilization before and during the COVID-19 pandemic using administrative health data and mental health system utilization data.
This work follows a similar analysis by New Brunswick Institute for Research, Data and Training (NB-IRDT), which facilitated cross-comparisons between self-reported data from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.