PBJ research report and related news:
Staffing Shortages, Staffing Hours, and Resident Deaths in US Nursing Homes During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Staffing shortages at nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic may have impacted care providers’ staffing hours and affected residents’ care and outcomes. This study examines the association of staffing shortages with staffing hours and resident deaths in nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our results showed that self-reported staffing shortages were associated with a statistically significant decrease in staffing hours and with a statistically significant increase in resident deaths. These results suggest that addressing staffing shortages in nursing homes can save lives.
Joshi S. “Staffing Shortages, Staffing Hours, and Resident Deaths in U.S. Nursing Homes During the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Journal of the American Medical Directors Association (2023), doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2023.04.020.
Nurse staffing shortages linked to 10 percent jump in resident deaths
Self-reported nurse staffing shortages in United States nursing homes during the height of the pandemic were linked to less care per resident and a 10.5% increase in resident deaths, a new study has found.
For the period between May 31, 2020, and May 15, 2022, [author Sushant Joshi, PhD, of the University of Southern California Sol Price School of Public Policy] used payroll data to measure staffing hours per resident, and measured weekly resident deaths and staffing shortages using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Healthcare Safety Network.
Among the more than 15,000 nursing homes represented, between 18% and 33% reported staffing shortages during any given week. These shortages were directly related to lower staffing hours per resident, including a 1.8% decline in registered nurse hours, a 1.7% decrease in licensed practical nurse hours and a 2.4% decline in certified nursing assistant hours.
These labor shortfalls appeared to have a significant impact on resident outcomes as well, Joshi found. Staffing shortages during any week were positively associated with a 10.5% increase in total resident deaths, or 0.068 total deaths per 100 residents. They were also associated with increases in resident deaths from COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 causes individually.
Lasek, Alicia. “Nurse Staffing Shortages Linked to 10 Percent Jump in Resident Deaths.” McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, 12 May 2023, www.mcknights.com/news/nurse-staffing-shortages-linked-to-10-percent-jump-in-resident-deaths.
Study: Fewer Nurses in Nursing Homes Associated with More Resident Deaths
“Staffing Shortages, Staffing Hours, and Resident Deaths in U.S. Nursing Homes During the COVID-19 Pandemic” finds that nursing facilities that self-reported nurse staffing shortages in fact had fewer registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and certified nursing assistants providing care to residents and the result of these nursing shortages was a 10.5% increase in resident deaths, from both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 causes, during the coronavirus pandemic.
Edelman, Toby. “Study: Fewer Nurses in Nursing Homes Associated With More Resident Deaths.” Center for Medicare Advocacy, May 2023, medicareadvocacy.org/study-fewer-nurses-in-nursing-homes-associated-with-more-resident-deaths.
