Staffing Shortages, Staffing Hours, and Resident Deaths in US Nursing Homes During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Sushant Joshi
PMID 37253431WHAT IT FOUND
Facilities reporting staffing shortages had more resident deaths.
Weeks with shortages saw 10.5% more total deaths and 39.8% more COVID deaths per 100 residents. Shortages lasting up to 3 weeks showed cumulative increases, with total deaths rising by 17%.
Key findings
01Staffing shortages were associated with a 10.5% increase in total resident deaths per 100 residents.
02Persistent shortages over 3 weeks were associated with a 17.0% increase in total deaths per 100 residents.
03Shortages of nursing staff were associated with a 1.8% decrease in registered nurse hours per resident.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
Staffing shortages were self-reported by facilities, which could be inaccurate. Deaths were categorised as COVID-19 or non-COVID-19, which may involve misclassification. The study could not determine if staffing hours declined because staff were absent or had left their jobs. Some facilities did not report data or their data failed quality checks, so the analysis did not include every nursing home.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that staffing shortages directly caused the deaths. The study found an association between reported shortages and higher death rates, but it cannot prove that the shortages were the sole cause of the increased mortality.