In nursing homes with high resident satisfaction, there was lower excess mortality during the corona pandemic than in nursing homes that scored less well. Absenteeism due to illness among staff and the use of external staff also appear to have played a role in excess mortality in nursing homes. Researchers Marlies Bär, Judith Bom, Pieter Bakx and Bram Wouterse from Erasmus University conducted research into this, the university reports.
It is known that the elderly and especially the weaker elderly have a higher risk of death from corona. In a Rotterdam nursing home, half of the residents died in a few weeks. Nearly half of all deaths from corona are nursing home residents. The researchers found that excess mortality in nursing homes was so high that the causes of this had to be investigated.
Higher resident satisfaction on Zorgkaart Nederland
Of course, poorer health of the elderly and the shortage of protective equipment played a role, but the Rotterdam researchers wanted to know whether certain characteristics of nursing homes were associated with excess mortality. And that turns out to be the case. Healthcare institutions that score high on the Netherlands Healthcare Map had a lower excess mortality than healthcare institutions that score low. Healthcare providers give the reason for this, for example, that in old buildings where people did not have their own room or bathroom, it was more difficult to comply with the corona measures.
External staff
Absenteeism among nursing home staff also appeared to be related to higher excess mortality in 2021, despite the high vaccination rate among the elderly. Nursing homes that worked extensively with external staff also had higher excess mortality. “We are still looking into how this can be done. Care freelancers may have worked at different institutions, making it easier for them to spread the virus.” The researchers emphasize that they do not know how the corona guidelines were complied with in every nursing home, so no judgment can be made about that.
By: National Healthcare Guide / Johanne Levinsky
2023-11-03 10:13:12
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