Hospital adverse events increased significantly during high COVID-19 burden weeks, affecting both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients, according to a recent cohort study.

Researchers assessed the impact of hospital COVID-19 burden on in-hospital adverse events (AEs) among 40,737 Medicare admissions from September 2020 to June 2022. Findings indicate an association between high COVID-19 patient load and increased AE rates among patients with and without COVID-19.

During weeks with the lowest COVID-19 burden, AE rates were 59.1 per 1,000 admissions. With intermediate and high COVID-19 burdens, rates increased to 77.0 and 97.4 per 1,000 admissions, respectively. Among non-COVID-19 patients, AE rates rose from 55.7 per 1,000 admissions during low-burden weeks to 74.0 in intermediate and 79.3 in high-burden periods.

Risk-adjusted analyses revealed that patients admitted during high COVID-19 burden periods experienced a 23% increase in AE risk compared to those admitted during low-burden weeks. Among COVID-19–positive patients, the relative risk of AEs increased by 33% under high-burden conditions.

These findings, published in JAMA Network Open, suggest that resilient safety protocols, expanded surge capacity, and strengthened hospital infrastructure are needed to support patient safety and care quality during high-demand periods in healthcare systems.

Full disclosures can be found in the published study.