There are many theories about how the spread of COVID-19 has taken off in Sweden's nursing homes. But no one really knows. Vårdföretagarna hired Sirona to help get more facts on the matter. Here are the results.
Many of Sweden's nursing homes have been hit hard by COVID-19. There are a number of theories about the causes of the spread of infection, although there has been little research in this area. In order for elderly care to be better prepared for future pandemics, more knowledge is needed, according to Vårdföretagarna. As a first step on the way, they hired Sirona.
- "We were given the task of finding out what factors are likely to affect the spread of infection to and within nursing homes. But also which factors do not. Therefore, we have studied the correlation between a selection of variables to find factors that covary with the spread of infection," says Britta Stenson, senior manager at Sirona.
The study is based on data from the National Board of Health and Welfare and the Public Health Agency of Sweden and a survey of 133 nursing homes in 62 municipalities. All nursing homes in the study are members of Vård¬företagarna.
What did you find out?
- The results show, among other things, that there is a clear connection between the spread of infection in the surrounding community and infection in nursing homes (70+). There is also a connection between infection among staff and infection among the elderly in the homes.
- The spread of infections to and within care homes is a complex issue. We hope that our analysis contributes to building knowledge. But it is of the utmost importance to continue to analyze and study the factors that contribute to the spread of infection in society in general and in elderly care," concludes Britta Stenson.
