New Data Briefs Measure Hospitalizations and In-Hospital Deaths in Early Months of COVID-19
Issue Number
780
September 14, 2021
AHRQ Stats
Access more data on this topic in the associated statistical brief (PDF, 364 KB), plus additional AHRQ data infographics.
Today's Headlines:
- New Data Briefs Measure Hospitalizations and In-Hospital Deaths in Early Months of COVID-19.
- Non-COVID Emergency Department Visits Decreased During Pandemic, but More Visits Required Admission.
- Interactive Data Resource Illustrates Prevalence of Paid Sick Leave.
- Highlights From AHRQ’s Patient Safety Network.
- AHRQ in the Professional Literature.
New Data Briefs Measure Hospitalizations and In-Hospital Deaths in Early Months of COVID-19
Four new statistical briefs from AHRQ’s Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) provide data on hospitalizations in the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic. The analyses, based on data from 13 states, compare hospitalizations and in-hospital deaths in April to September 2020 with the same months in 2016 to 2019. Among the findings:
- During the initial months of the pandemic, about 5 percent of hospitalizations were related to COVID-19. Hospitalizations overall decreased 15 percent in this period compared with earlier years.
- About 27 percent of in-hospital deaths were related to COVID-19 during the pandemic’s initial months. The number of all-cause in-hospital deaths increased 30 percent in this period compared with earlier years.
- In-hospital deaths for Hispanic patients and non-Hispanic Black patients increased 135 and 60 percent, respectively, in the pandemic’s early months compared with previous years. Fifty-seven percent of deaths for Hispanic patients and 37 percent of deaths for non-Hispanic Black patients were COVID-19 related.
The data analyses are based primarily on HCUP Summary Trend Tables, which provide state-specific monthly trends and may be accessed as downloadable files. While one statistical brief explores changes in hospitalizations across all ages (PDF, 399 KB), three companion briefs focus on hospitalizations for pediatric patients (PDF, 359 KB), adults ages 18 to 64 (PDF, 387 KB), and adults 65 and older (PDF, 387 KB).
Non-COVID Emergency Department Visits Decreased During Pandemic, but More Visits Required Admission
While the average volume of emergency department visits among Medicare patients not related to COVID-19 during much of the pandemic was 22 to 25 percent lower than it was beginning in 2018, the proportion of visits that resulted in hospital admission increased anywhere from 4 percent to 23 percent throughout 2020, according to an AHRQ-funded study published in Health Affairs. Hospital admissions from the emergency department increased primarily among patients with less serious illness, while admissions and death rates for those with a more serious conditions did not change significantly. Researchers suggested that there is need for balance in the messaging during a pandemic so patients who are truly in need of emergency care do not delay seeking it. They also recommend that policy should redirect less serious cases while not impacting access to truly emergency care. Access the abstract.
Interactive Data Resource Illustrates Prevalence of Paid Sick Leave
A new AHRQ data visualization shows the percentage of workers with paid sick leave, an employment benefit that can provide financial support to families during periods of health difficulties. This interactive visualization uses data from the 2017 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) to estimate paid sick leave alone and in combination with paid vacation leave among adult workers by age, gender, income and other characteristics. The tool is based on MEPS Research Findings #47: Prevalence of Paid Sick Leave Among Wage Earners, 2017.
Highlights From AHRQ’s Patient Safety Network
AHRQ’s Patient Safety Network (PSNet) highlights journal articles, books and tools related to patient safety. Articles featured this week include:
- Perceptions of working conditions and safety concerns in community pharmacy.
- A system-wide hospital child maltreatment patient safety program.
- Organizational readiness to change as a leverage point for improving safety: a national nursing home survey.
- Toolkit for Engaging Patients to Improve Diagnostic Safety.
Review additional new publications in PSNet’s current issue or access recent cases and commentaries in AHRQ’s WebM&M (Morbidity and Mortality Rounds on the Web).
AHRQ in the Professional Literature
Gaps in emergency general surgery coverage in the United States. Ingraham AM, Chaffee SM, Ayturk MD, et al. Ann Surg Open 2021 Mar;2(1):e043. Epub 2021 Feb 18. Access the abstract on PubMed®.
What's important: postoperative care planning. Recognizing the central role of pets in many patients' lives. Whitebird RR, Solberg LI. J Bone Joint Surg Am 2021 Sep 1;103(17):1663-4. Access the abstract on PubMed®.
Quantifying the variation in neonatal transport referral patterns using network analysis. Kunz SN, Helkey D, Zitnik M, et al. J Perinatol 2021 May 25. [Epub ahead of print.] Access the abstract on PubMed®.
Competence in decision making: setting performance standards for critical care. Murray DJ, Boulet JR, Boyle WA, et al. Anesth Analg 2021 Jul 1;133(1):142-50. Access the abstract on PubMed®.
A survey of primary care practices on their use of the intensive behavioral therapy for obese Medicare patients. Luo Z, Gritz M, Connelly L, et al. J Gen Intern Med 2021 Sep;36(9):2700-8. Epub 2021 Jan 22. Access the abstract on PubMed®.
Toward understanding social needs among primary care patients with uncontrolled diabetes. Chambers EC, McAuliff KE, Heller CG, et al. J Prim Care Community Health 2021 Jan-Dec;12:2150132720985044. Access the abstract on PubMed®.
Adjustment of patient experience surveys for how people respond. Cefalu M, Elliott MN, Hays RD. Med Care 2021 Mar;59(3):202-5. Access the abstract on PubMed®.
Language barriers between nurses and patients: a scoping review. Gerchow L, Burka LR, Miner S, et al. Patient Educ Couns 2021 Mar;104(3):534-53. Epub 2020 Sep 18. Access the abstract on PubMed®.