Perceived Hospital Stress, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Activity, and Care Process Temporal Variance During the COVID-19 Pandemic*
Authors' conclusion
During the COVID-19 pandemic, perceived care deviations were common and potentially avoidable patient harm was rare. Perceived hospital stress persisted for weeks after surges peaked.
Study context
- Population
- Hospitals in the SCCM Discovery Severe Acute Respiratory Infection-Preparedness cohort during the COVID-19 pandemic, November 2020-June 2022839 hospital-weeks
- Participants
- 13 participants
Methodological detailsweekly hospital stress survey, multicentre, 85 pandemic weeks and five viral surges
- Weekly hospital stress survey
- Multicentre
- 85 pandemic weeks and five viral surges
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- Perceived overall hospital stress, mean % of hospitals per week (SD 36%)
- 43%
- Perceived ICU stress, mean % of hospitals per week (SD 30%)
- 32%
- Perceived emergency department (ED) stress, mean % of hospitals per week (SD 22%)
- 14%
- Perceived care deviations, mean % (SD 33%)
- 36%
- Correlation overall hospital vs ICU stress (ρ; p < 0.0001)
- 0.82
- Correlation overall hospital vs ED stress (ρ; p < 0.0001)
- 0.52
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Odds of stress per county increase of 10 SARS-CoV-2 cases per 100,000 residents
- Overall hospital stress, increase in odds
- 9% (95% CI 5-12%)
- ICU stress, increase in odds
- 7% (95% CI 3-10%)
- ED stress, increase in odds
- 4% (95% CI 2-6%)
Duration of stress after local case peak, Delta surge
- Overall hospital stress, median weeks (IQR 9-14 wk)
- 11.5
- ICU stress, median weeks (6-14 wk); p = 0.59
- 11
- ED stress, median weeks (5-6 wk); p = 0.003, earlier resolution
- 6
Stress pattern, Omicron BA.1 surge
- Similar but attenuated pattern
Parts of this Brief are withheld: the automatic checks could not confirm them against the abstract.
Original publication
Perceived Hospital Stress, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Activity, and Care Process Temporal Variance During the COVID-19 Pandemic*. Crit Care Med. Published 15 February 2023. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →