COVID-19 Inpatient Caseloads in General Hospitals Did Not Affect Quality Indicator Compliance Rates in Israel

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Concerns arose early in the COVID-19 pandemic regarding the potential impact of high inpatient volumes on routine care quality.
• Hospitals' ability to adhere to quality indicators was questioned during surges of COVID-19 patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effect of COVID-19 patient surges on compliance rates with selected quality indicators in Israeli general hospitals.
• To assess if increased COVID-19 admissions compromised care for non-COVID-19 patients.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of weekly compliance rates for five quality indicators from the Israeli National Program for Quality Indicators (NPQI).
• Correlation of compliance data with COVID-19 inpatient volumes obtained from the Ministry of Health.
• Pearson's correlation analysis to determine the association between COVID-19 patient numbers and quality indicator compliance.

Main Results:

• Compliance rates for all five quality indicators remained stable throughout the study period (July 2019–June 2022).
• No significant correlation was found between the number of COVID-19 inpatients and compliance rates for routine care quality indicators.
• General hospitals maintained consistent quality of care for non-COVID-19 patients despite high COVID-19 admission volumes.

Conclusions:

• General hospitals in Israel successfully managed high volumes of COVID-19 inpatients without compromising routine care quality.
• The study demonstrates the resilience of Israeli healthcare facilities in maintaining quality standards during the pandemic.