“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. The study, based on national data reported between May 31, 2020 and May 15, 2022, finds that “the quantity and quality of care in NHs may have decreased during the pandemic.” It concludes, “Policies aimed at improving access and quality of care in NHs, especially in times of major health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, must consider ways to increase staffing, either through interventions aimed at retaining the existing staff or by attracting additional staff.”
May 11, 2023 – T. Edelman