Factors Influencing Mortality in Nursing Homes During the Corona Pandemic: Resident Satisfaction, External Staff, and Mortality Rates

ROTTERDAM (ANP) – In nursing homes that are rated lower by residents and their loved ones, more residents have died during the corona pandemic than in nursing homes with satisfied residents. That is one of the connections that researchers from Erasmus University Rotterdam came across when they looked for factors that influenced mortality. The hiring of many external staff and absenteeism among staff also appear to have an influence: institutions with more external staff had a higher excess mortality.

It was not entirely surprising that the coronavirus hit people in nursing homes particularly hard. The elderly and people with vulnerable health were in any case at a much higher risk of becoming seriously ill or even dying from the virus than young, healthy people. The major lack of protective equipment in the initial period of the outbreak, such as good quality face masks, has also received a lot of attention.

What stands out about the new study from Rotterdamis that there are major differences between healthcare institutions. On average, in normal times, approximately 30 percent of nursing home residents die within a year. During the pandemic, that rate was almost half higher in some nursing homes, while other institutions were spared a major spike in mortality.

Own facilities

The connection with resident satisfaction may be in matters such as having their own room or bathroom. Where such facilities were lacking, it was more difficult to comply with the corona guidelines, the researchers heard from healthcare workers.

The scientists cannot yet say with certainty what exactly the link between higher mortality and more hiring of external staff is. Researcher Marlies Bär does have a potential explanation: “Care freelancers may work at different institutions, making it easier for them to spread the virus.”

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2023-11-06 08:04:33
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