Predicting COVID-19 Cases in Nursing Homes of California and Ohio: Does the Work Environment Matter?

Soumyadipta Roy; Jamie E Collins; Leslie I Boden; Jeffrey N Katz; Gregory R Wagner; Glorian Sorensen; Jessica A R Williams

doi:10.1097/JOM.0000000000003181

Predicting COVID-19 Cases in Nursing Homes of California and Ohio: Does the Work Environment Matter?

J Occup Environ Med. 2024 Oct 1;66(10):e460-e466. doi: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000003181. Epub 2024 Jul 1.

Authors

Soumyadipta Roy¹, Jamie E Collins, Leslie I Boden, Jeffrey N Katz, Gregory R Wagner, Glorian Sorensen, Jessica A R Williams

Affiliation

¹ From the Department of Health Policy and Administration, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania (S.R., J.A.R.W.); Orthopedic Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts (J.E.C., J.N.K.); Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts (L.I.B.); Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts (J.N.K.); Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts (J.N.K.); Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts (J.N.K., G.R.W.); and Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts (G.S.).

PMID: 38955810
DOI: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000003181

Abstract

Objective: The cross-sectional study evaluates if the prepandemic work environments in nursing homes predict coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases among residents and staff, accounting for other factors.

Method: Leveraging data from a survey of California and Ohio nursing homes (n = 340), we examined if Workplace Integrated Safety and Health domains - Leadership, Participation, and Comprehensive and Collaborative Strategies predicted cumulative COVID-19 cases among nursing home residents and staff.

Results: In Ohio, a 1-unit increase in Leadership score was associated with 2 fewer staff cases and 4 fewer resident cases. A 1-unit increase in Comprehensive and Collaborative Strategies score in California showed an average marginal effect of approximately 1 less staff case and 2 fewer resident cases.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that leadership commitment and interdepartment collaboration to prioritize worker safety may have protected against COVID-19 cases in nursing homes.

MeSH terms

Aged
COVID-19* / epidemiology
COVID-19* / prevention & control
California / epidemiology
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Humans
Leadership
Male
Middle Aged
Nursing Homes* / statistics & numerical data
Occupational Health
Ohio / epidemiology
SARS-CoV-2*
Surveys and Questionnaires
Working Conditions
Workplace*