A new study — published in Nursing Research — has found that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted patient safety indicators in U.S. hospitals. The study, from Penn Nursing’s Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research (CHOPR), examined data from the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators to assess trends in nursing-sensitive quality indicators from 2019 to 2022. The prevention of these very distressing, uncomfortable conditions is considered to be under the nurse’s purview and directly influenced by nursing care.
The investigation found that rates of falls, bloodstream infections from central line catheters, urinary tract infections from urinary catheters, pressure injuries from devices or immobility, and pneumonia associated with ventilator use, all increased significantly during the pandemic. While some of these rates have begun to decline, they have not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels. When a patient falls, develops a pressure injury, or suffers a hospital-acquired infection, these adverse events delay the patient’s ability to go home, to be comfortable, and to heal.
“The pandemic placed an immense strain on healthcare systems and frontline workers, and the impact on patient safety is evident in these data,” said Eileen T. Lake, PhD, RN, FAAN, the Edith Clemmer Steinbright Professor in Gerontology; Professor of Nursing in the Department of Biobehavioral Health Sciences; and Associate Director of CHOPR. “It’s crucial that we address the ongoing challenges faced by nurses and invest in this professional workforce.”
The study highlights the importance of supporting nurses and ensuring they have the resources and support they need to provide high-quality care. It also underscores the need for continued efforts to improve patient safety indicators even as the pandemic subsides.
Co-authors include: Angela Pascale, PhD, Research Analyst and Nora E. Warshawsky, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, Nurse Scientist, both from Press Ganey Associates LLC; Jessica G. Smith, PhD, RN, College of Nursing and Health Innovation at The University of Texas at Arlington; Douglas Staiger, PhD, Department of Economics at Dartmouth College; and Jeannette A. Rogowski, PhD, Health Policy, and Administration at The Pennsylvania State University.