Right-Sized Staffing at SNFs Reduces Hospital Admissions Flu

A recent study published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases has identified a significant means for LTC facilities to reduce hospital admissions owing to Pneumonia and Influenza in older adults -- increasing healthcare professional staffing levels.

Study Findings

Our study showed that long-term care facilities with higher staffing hours per resident . . . and higher quality care practices had fewer pneumonia and influenza hospitalizations,� study author Elliott Bosco, PharmD, a PhD student in Health Services Research in the Department of Health Services, Policy and Practice at Brown University School of Public Health, told Contagion Live, a publication that covers infectious diseases. These results were consistent for both the short-stay and long-stay populations,� he added.We were surprised to find that almost all potentially modifiable characteristics, such as staffing hours and skilled providers, were associated with lower pneumonia and influenza hospitalization rates for both short-stay and long-stay population,� Bosco said. The study also found that facilities with higher staffing numbers had a lower chance of patients developing problems with antimicrobial-resistant bacteria (a common side effect of improper antibiotic use).

Impact of Staffing

With almost 80,000 deaths from the flu during the 2017-18 flu season, facilities must do as much as they can to reduce the risks for patients to be hospitalized by contracting this disease. The CDC also reported 48,632 deaths from pneumonia in 2016, making it a cause for concern as well. Both these diseases are more prevalent in older Americans, who are the most common long-term care patients.This highlights the importance of having a fully-staffed facility, and the real impact it can have on the well-being of patients.

Next Steps

To learn how PassportUSA cab help your facility improve your nurse staffing levels, click below to reach out to our team. We have helped facilities across the U.S. reach a higher standard in patient care with our international workforce solutions.

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