Hospice Aide Visits among Nursing Home Residents During the Early Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

This is an observational comparison, not a test of an intervention, so it cannot show that any policy caused the decline. The study measured hospice aide visits only; virtual hospice nurse visits were not captured, so total hospice contact may be different. It is unclear whether nursing home nurse aides supplemented the care hospice aides would have provided. Resident COVID diagnosis could not be determined because testing was inaccurate and diagnoses were underreported. Nursing home COVID exposure was based on administrator self-reports. Some states, Washington, DC, and Wyoming were excluded, and the study covers only January to September. The paper describes care disruptions but does not test whether emergency planning or safe visiting would prevent them.

The paper is listed as supported by NIH extramural research. No author conflicts of interest are stated in the supplied text.

Do not conclude that total hospice care fell or that one policy caused the decline. The study measured hospice aide visits only, and virtual hospice nurse visits were not captured, so it cannot show how much overall hospice contact changed or separate visitation rules, personal protective equipment shortages, staffing fears, and other factors.