A study of 237 New York and Illinois hospitals found nurse staffing levels, Magnet designations and other factors were associated with lower COVID-19 death rates.
The researchers, who work at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, analyzed data on nearly 88,000 Medicare beneficiaries who were hospitalized with COVID-19 between April 1, 2020, and Dec. 31, 2020.
To investigate if hospital resources had a significant impact on COVID-19 mortality death rates, they compared these rates with each hospital's average patient-to-registered nurse staffing ratio, the proportion of RNs with BSNs, nurse work environments and Magnet recognition prior to the pandemic.
Here are five findings, which are published in the International Journal of Nursing Studies.
1. Among these general acute care hospitals, the average adult medical-surgical unit nurse had 5.6 patients, the average nurse work environment was 2.7 (on a scale from 1 to 4), the average proportion of RNs with BSNs was 67.1%, and 27.9% of the hospitals were Magnet recognized.
2. For staffing ratios, each additional patient in the average nurses' workload was associated with 20% higher odds of in-hospital mortality and 15% higher odds of 30-day mortality.
3. A higher proportion of RNs with BSNs were associated with statistically significant lower odds of COVID-19 mortality.
4. COVID-19 patients admitted to hospitals that had a nurse work environment one standard deviation above the average were 12% to 15% less likely to experience 30-day mortality and in-hospital mortality, respectively.
5. Compared to non-Magnet hospitals, facilities with the designation had 23% to 25% lower patient mortality odds.