A new study in the International Journal of Nursing Studies suggests chronically understaffed US hospitals had higher rates of COVID-19 patient deaths early in the pandemic.
“Our study found that individuals’ likelihood of surviving was related to hospitals’ investments in nursing services prior to the pandemic—in terms of hiring sufficient numbers of RNs [registered nurses], employing nurses with bachelor’s educational preparation, and sustaining favorable work environments,” said Karen Lasater, PhD, RN, the lead author of the study, in a press release from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing.
Almost a fourth died during hospitalization
The study was based on outcomes seen among 87,000 Medicare enrollees (ages 65 to 99) hospitalized with COVID-19 from April through December 2020 in 237 general acute-care hospitals in New York and Illinois.
The authors looked at patient-to-RN staffing ratios, proportion of bachelors-qualified RNs, and nurse work environments in the pre-pandemic period (December 2019 to February 2020) and during the pandemic (April to June 2021) to predict in-hospital and 30-day mortality…
Source: More COVID-19 patients died in understaffed hospitals, new data reveal | CIDRAP

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