COVID-19 surges linked to greater risks for all hospitalized patients

Hospitals with greater COVID-19 patient loads confronted higher adverse events for all patients, an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality study found. Using Medicare data from 40,737 patients from AHRQ’s Quality and Safety Reviewed System, the researchers found adverse event rates increased from 59 per 1,000 admissions in weeks with lower COVID-19 numbers to 97 per 1,000 admissions in weeks with higher COVID-19 numbers. The pattern remained for COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients, suggesting hospital stress from surges affected overall patient safety. The authors urge hospitals to build resilience and surge capacity to ensure safety during future demand spikes from pandemics, natural disasters or other causes. For example, hospitals could quickly implement creative staffing models to address shortages. Researchers published results in JAMA Network Open. (AHRQ News Now article, 12/17/24)