Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Objectives
To examine the effect of Hurricane Irma on staff-related financial expenditures and daily direct-care nurse staffing levels.Design
Retrospective cohort study.Setting
September 3-24, 2017 in the state of Florida, United States. Hurricane Irma made landfall on September 10, 2017.Participants
Six hundred and fifty-three nursing homes (NHs), 81 evacuated facilities, and 572 facilities that sheltered-in-place.Measurements
This study used data from Payroll-Based Journaling (PBJ), Certification and Survey Provider Enhanced Reports (CASPER), and Florida's health providers' emergency reporting system. PBJ provided estimates of daily direct-care nurse staffing levels for registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and certified nursing assistants. CASPER reported facility-level characteristics such as profit status, chain membership, and special care unit availability. Florida's emergency reporting system identified evacuation status during Hurricane Irma. Linear mixed-effects models were used to estimate the unique contribution of evacuation status on daily staffing increases over time from September 3 to 10.Results
Among all facilities, we found significant increases in staffing for licensed practical nurses (p = 0.02) and certified nursing assistants (p < 0.001), but not for registered nurses (p = 0.10) before Hurricane Irma made landfall. From 1 week before landfall to 2 weeks after landfall (September 3-24), an additional estimated $2.41 million was spent on direct-care nurse staffing. In comparison to facilities that sheltered-in-place, evacuated facilities increased staffing levels of all nurse types (all p < 0.001). At landfall, evacuated facilities spent an estimated $93.74 on nurse staffing per resident whereas facilities that sheltered-in-place spent $76.10 on nurse staffing per resident.Conclusion
NHs face unprecedented challenges during hurricanes, including maintaining adequate direct-care nurse staffing levels to meet the needs of their residents. NHs that evacuated residents had an increase in direct-care nurse staffing that was greater than that seen in NHs that sheltered-in-place.
SUBMITTER: Jester DJ
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8373745 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Aug
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Jester Dylan J DJ Thomas Kali S KS Peterson Lindsay J LJ Dosa David M DM Andel Ross R Hyer Kathryn K
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 20210512 8
<h4>Objectives</h4>To examine the effect of Hurricane Irma on staff-related financial expenditures and daily direct-care nurse staffing levels.<h4>Design</h4>Retrospective cohort study.<h4>Setting</h4>September 3-24, 2017 in the state of Florida, United States. Hurricane Irma made landfall on September 10, 2017.<h4>Participants</h4>Six hundred and fifty-three nursing homes (NHs), 81 evacuated facilities, and 572 facilities that sheltered-in-place.<h4>Measurements</h4>This study used data from Pa ...[more]