COVID-19 Burden in Hospitals Affects Risk for In-Hospital Adverse Events

THURSDAY, Nov. 7, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Greater hospital COVID-19 burden is associated with an increased risk for in-hospital adverse events (AEs) among patients with and without COVID-19 in the United States, according to a study published online Nov. 4 in JAMA Network Open.

Mark L. Metersky, M.D., from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine in Farmington, and colleagues examined whether hospital COVID-19 burden was associated with the rate of in-hospital AEs in a cohort study including 40,737 Medicare hospital admissions (4,114 patients with COVID-19 and 36,623 without).

The researchers found there were 59.1, 77.0, and 97.4 AEs per 1,000 admissions during weeks with the lowest, intermediate, and highest COVID-19 burden, respectively. There were 55.7, 74.0, and 79.3 AEs per 1,000 admissions during weeks with the lowest, intermediate, and highest COVID-19 burden among patients without COVID-19. Patients with COVID-19 had a similar pattern. For all patients, the relative risk for AEs among those admitted during weeks with high versus low COVID-19 burden was 1.23 after risk adjustment, with similar results among those with and without COVID-19.

"These results illustrate the need for greater resilience, including systems of care that promote patient safety and planning for surge capacity in hospitals to prevent declines in patient safety and effectiveness of care during increases in demand, such as from pandemics, natural disasters, or other causes," the authors write.

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