November 2, 2020

Hospital and ICU Patient Volume per Physician at Peak of COVID Pandemic: State-Level Estimates

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Clinical Characteristics and Health Care Setting

Keywords (Tags): health care setting

A study that used results from the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation model to estimate the number of hospitalized and ICU patients per physician expected at the peak of the pandemic in each state found that while most states should have sufficient physician capacity to handle the surge, some states in the Midwest will experience high ratios that may adversely impact patient outcomes. The median number of hospitalized patients per physician ranged from 13 to 18 (patient to physician ratios above 15:1 have been associated with poor outcomes). Ratios decreased if the physician pool was broadened to include physicians without recent experience treating hospitalized patients.

Bhatla and Ryskina. (Dec 2020). Hospital and ICU Patient Volume per Physician at Peak of COVID Pandemic: State-Level Estimates. Healthcare. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hjdsi.2020.100489