Pediatric anesthesia & critical care
Pediatric Intensive Care Nurse Staffing Measures and Patient Outcomes During the COVID-19 Pandemic
An erratum to this article was published (JAMA Netw Open, 1 Aug 2025 ↗)
Authors' conclusion
In this cross-sectional study of nurse staffing measures and patient outcomes during COVID-19, complex associations existed throughout the study years.
Study context
- Population
- Patients younger than 19 years admitted to US pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) (PHIS and PROSPECT databases), 2019–2022admissions, 20 PICUs
- Participants
- 218,789 participants
- Exposure
- Variable agency staffing vs Non-variable agency staffing
- Variable agency staffingn = 120,017
- Non-variable agency staffingn = 98,772reference
- Outcome
- Mortality, PICU complications, central line-associated bloodstream infections, or ventilator-associated pneumonias
Methodological detailsmulticentre, linked database
- Multicentre
- Linked database
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
PICU complications
| Group | Value | Denominator |
|---|---|---|
| Variable proportion of agency nurses | 8.1% | 120 017 |
| Other PICUs | 7.2% | 98 772 |
Value
Variable proportion of agency nurses8.1%
Other PICUs7.2%
Denominator
Variable proportion of agency nurses120 017
Other PICUs98 772
- Variable proportion of agency nurses vs Other PICUs: P < 0.001
- Multivariable: increase in VAP per 10 000 ventilator-days in 2020
- 19 (95% CI, 7-39)
- Per 10% higher nurse turnover than median: more PICU complications per 10 000 patient-days in 2022
- 10 (95% CI, 8-13)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
VAP (multivariable analysis) · 2020
- Increase in VAPs per 10 000 ventilator-days
- 19 (95% CI, 7-39)
PICU complications per 10% higher nurse turnover than median (multivariable analysis) · 2022
- More PICU complications per 10 000 patient-days
- 10 (95% CI, 8-13)
Original publication
Pediatric Intensive Care Nurse Staffing Measures and Patient Outcomes During the COVID-19 Pandemic. JAMA Netw Open. Published 2 June 2025. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →