Lack of Staff Efficiency and High Turnover Rates in LTC

Turnover, absenteeism, and low worker productivity cost time and money¹ that could be better spent on improving your resident care to drive up census and improve your facility’s rating.

Present staffing challenges may leave you constantly searching to fill vacated positions or shifts, training new staff, and struggling to maintain a high facility rating that draws more prospective residents to your business. 

Poor indoor air quality only exacerbates these pressing LTC issues.

In the case of absenteeism, research shows that employees are more likely to miss shifts due to illness or job dissatisfaction when they are chronically exposed to poor indoor air quality at work². 

Additionally, poor IAQ contributes to diminished cognitive function, which in turn lowers productivity and performance at work³. In fact, this study shows that indoor air quality and productivity are directly correlated; as IAQ deteriorates, so does worker productivity⁴. 

Long-term exposure to particulate matter (PM) 2.5 (a type of exceptionally harmful PM common in indoor spaces) in indoor settings has been shown to have a drastic effect on employee decision making abilities⁵. Along with poor ventilation, PM exposure can result in more errors at work⁶, which can be costly or even fatal in situations like resident medication administration.

The Cost of Avoidable Hospitalizations

Poor IAQ causes 3.8 million early deaths each year⁷ and 50% of all instances of human illness are attributed in total or in part to poor IAQ⁸.  

Poor IAQ is an invisible health crisis for Seniors. They are particularly susceptible to the adverse effects of poor indoor air quality, yet they spend more time indoors than the average person (over 90% of each day)⁹. This can be a serious issue, as even short-term exposure to elevated levels of indoor air contaminants can result in hospitalization¹⁰. Additionally, chronic exposure increases the risk of otherwise avoidable hospitalizations¹¹ for illnesses such as COPD and pneumonia¹². 

Avoidable Hospitalizations May Impact Census

Avoidable hospitalizations cost billions of unnecessary dollars each year¹³ and can lead to health care-associated infections or other hospital-related illnesses upon return to the LTC. In fact, 4 of 10 hospitalized residents develop post-hospitalization health complications¹⁴, some of which can be infectious and spread throughout the facility to both residents and staff.  

Hospitalizations in general (and the potential health risks that come after) are financially taxing. Avoidable hospitalizations, however, can also reduce trust in your facility’s quality of care. In fact, research shows they may even elect one facility over another based on a commitment to indoor air quality alone¹⁵. This lack of trust in your facility’s safety can deter prospective residents, which could impact census.

IAQ Solutions to Help You Improve Business Outcomes

If you have been struggling with the previously discussed business challenges, you may benefit from exploring the following indoor air quality solutions.

Ventilation and Filtration Solutions May Help Increase Staff Productivity

IAQ improvements such as increased ventilation and higher grade air filtration (MERV-13 filters or higher) have been shown to result in a 9-20% annual reduction in sick leave¹⁶. When implemented appropriately, these improvements can result in up to 60x return on investment in the form of worker reliability and productivity¹⁷.

Air Purification Technology May Improve Resident Health Outcomes

The number of avoidable hospitalizations could likely be lowered with better indoor air quality solutions¹⁸. For example, air purification technology such as a portable UV-C device and Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization may help reduce the amount of contaminants in the air and neutralize harmful pathogens. 

These, along with other solutions such as HVAC planned maintenance and humidity control, can work together to help you create a powerful, comprehensive defense against IAQ-related threats. 

A Final Note: Demonstrate Your Commitment to Indoor Air Quality

Your commitment to IAQ is a choice in service of your LTC community. When you invest in IAQ solutions, let your staff, residents, and prospective residents know about it. They will appreciate communication about your IAQ improvement efforts as well as regular updates about the air quality of your facility¹⁹. 

^{1 CDC.gov} 

^{2 Stefanovska Ceravolo, Ljubica & Mirakovski, Dejan & Polenakovik, Radmil & Ristova-Drewanz, Emilija & Sovreski, Zlatko. (2012). Indoor air quality (IAQ) as a parameter affecting workplace productivity.} 

^{3 https://gps.ucsd.edu/_files/faculty/graff-zivin/graff-zivin-publication-2019-01.pdf&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1647634356892134&usg=AOvVaw1vr7pjqHPhfhh8vwycB_yJ}

^{4 Stefanovska Ceravolo, Ljubica & Mirakovski, Dejan & Polenakovik, Radmil & Ristova-Drewanz, Emilija & Sovreski, Zlatko. (2012). Indoor air quality (IAQ) as a parameter affecting workplace productivity.}

^{5 http://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/public-health-now/news/columbia-researchers-study-effect-air-pollution-investor-behavior-sp-500&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1647634356894312&usg=AOvVaw0YiKRtTwG2hR6H9UQ-AyAe​​}

^{6 Hawkins,, V. R., Marcham, C. L., Springston, J. P., Miller, J., Braybrooke, G., Maunder, C., Feng, L., & Kollmeyer, B. (2020). The Value of IAQ: A Review of the Scientific Evidence Supporting the Benefits of Investing in Better Indoor Air Quality. , (). Retrieved from https://commons.erau.edu/publication/1500​​}

^{7 Vijayan, V. K., Paramesh, H., Salvi, S. S., & Dalal, A. A. (2015). Enhancing indoor air quality -The air filter advantage. Lung India : official organ of Indian Chest Society, 32(5), 473–479. https://doi.org/10.4103/0970-2113.164174​​}

^{8 https://www.indoorairhygiene.org/knowledge-center/facts/&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1647634356881182&usg=AOvVaw31iMO2-pFo_LjhwHQdptSS​​}

^{9 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 1997. Exposure factors handbook volume 3: Activity factors. EPA/600/P-95/002Fa. Washington, DC.​​}

^{10 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-airpollution-hospitalizations/air-pollution-tied-to-hospitalizations-for-wide-range-of-illnesses-idUSKBN1YD2ES&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1647634356866584&usg=AOvVaw3k5sEOcabCPrB5KD61ng1C​​}

^{11 O’Malley AS, Pham HH, Schrag D, Wu B, Bach PB. Potentially avoidable hospitalizations for COPD and pneumonia: the role of physician and practice characteristics. Med Care. 2007 Jun;45(6):562-70. doi: 10.1097/MLR.0b013e3180408df8. PMID: 17515784.​​}

^{12 Marion Hulin, Marzia Simoni, Giovanni Viegi, Isabella Annesi-Maesano
European Respiratory Journal Oct 2012, 40 (4) 1033-1045; DOI: 10.1183/09031936.00159011​​}

^{13  https://www.cms.gov/mmrr/Downloads} 

​​^{14 Kapoor A, Field T, Handler S, et al. Adverse Events in Long-term Care Residents Transitioning From Hospital Back to Nursing Home. JAMA Intern Med. 2019;179(9):1254–1261. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2019.2005.​​}

^{15 https://www.mcknightsseniorliving.com/home/columns/marketplace-columns/the-importance-of-indoor-air-quality-for-prospective-residents-of-senior-living/&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1647634356846642&usg=AOvVaw36dAI8ABxT4gzLB5MSRfMy​​}

^{16 Hawkins,, V. R., Marcham, C. L., Springston, J. P., Miller, J., Braybrooke, G., Maunder, C., Feng, L., & Kollmeyer, B. (2020). The Value of IAQ: A Review of the Scientific Evidence Supporting the Benefits of Investing in Better Indoor Air Quality. , (). Retrieved from https://commons.erau.edu/publication/1500​​}

^{17 Hawkins,, V. R., Marcham, C. L., Springston, J. P., Miller, J., Braybrooke, G., Maunder, C., Feng, L., & Kollmeyer, B. (2020). The Value of IAQ: A Review of the Scientific Evidence Supporting the Benefits of Investing in Better Indoor Air Quality. , (). Retrieved from https://commons.erau.edu/publication/1500​​}

^{18 Manasa Reddy, Mohammad Heidarinejad, Brent Stephens, Israel Rubinstein,
Adequate indoor air quality in nursing homes: An unmet medical need, Science of The Total Environment, Volume 765, 2021, 144273, ISSN 0048-9697, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144273​​}

^{19 https://finance-yahoo-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/finance.yahoo.com/amphtml/news/honeywell-survey-reveals-72-office-125900755.html%26sa%3DD%26source%3Ddocs%26ust%3D1647063365275526%26usg%3DAOvVaw3jjrhHbE0y1WIG6YNyA00b&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1647634356876771&usg=AOvVaw1CcN79xT8DhdmajTuiMgsB​​}