Policy action can stabilize staffing levels

Provider and policy action is needed to counter the effects of staff absences and departures, particularly during infectious disease outbreaks such as COVID-19, that may put nursing home residents at risk, according to the authors of a study published Friday in the journal JAMA Health Forum.

“Considerable staffing challenges suggest a potential need for policy action to ensure adequate staffing levels during nursing home outbreaks to protect resident health,” wrote authors Karen Shen, PhD; Brian E. McGarry, PT, PhD; David C. Grabowski, PhD; et al.

The researchers studied 2,967 nursing homes in 2020 and found that statistically significant declines in staffing levels occurred during severe COVID-19 outbreaks that didn’t resolve, on average, for 16 weeks after an outbreak’s start.