Variation in US Hospital Mortality Rates for Patients Admitted With COVID-19 During the First 6 Months of the Pandemic
Cohort study (n=38 517) found that the COVID-19 30-day in-hospital mortality rate improved in 397 of 398 US hospitals by the end of June 2020 (as compared to the start of the pandemic). The overall 30 day in hospital mortality improved from 16.6% to 9.3%.
Source:
JAMA Internal Medicine
SPS commentary:
A related editorial comments that although the care of patients with COVID-19 has undoubtedly improved, it is unlikely that all of the mortality improvement is because of medical care. Patients who were admitted to the hospital during the earlier period likely had greater illness severity in ways that cannot easily be adjusted for. Also, patients with frailty, especially those in nursing homes, who were disproportionately harmed during the first wave of the epidemic were much better protected from infection in later months, and likely represented a smaller proportion of patients entering the hospital.