Nursing Home Staffing Challenges Worse During COVID-19 Outbreaks

Nursing home staffing challenges increased during severe COVID-19 outbreaks, with staffing hours 5.5 percent below pre-outbreak levels by the 16th week of an outbreak.

Nursing homes experienced significant staffing challenges during and after severe COVID-19 outbreaks due to temporary absences and permanent departures from workers, according to a study published in JAMA Health Forum.

Researchers used data from the CMS Payroll Based Journal and the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) COVID-19 Nursing Home Data set to determine whether severe COVID-19 outbreaks were associated with declines in staffing.