Observational studyBMJ leader2026
Association between incident occurrence and bed configuration: a retrospective observational study in a Japanese academic hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Observational study in BMJ leader, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesThis study examines the relationship between the diversification and complexity of ward operations (DCWO) during the COVID-19 pandemic and incident occurrence. Our hospital faced significant changes in ward management during the pandemic. Typically, each ward accommodates two to four clinical departments, with department assignments remaining relatively fixed. However, to free up beds for patients with COVID-19, the number of general wards was reduced, forcing a more fluid allocation of patients across various departments. This shift resulted in a more complex and diverse departmental mix within each ward, complicating ward operations.
methodsThis study retrospectively examined patients admitted to a university hospital in Japan from 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2022. We analysed incident occurrences by ward (including all inpatients within the target ward) and assessed the relationship between nurse-related incidents and DCWO.
resultsWe selected records for 7030 ward days from 21 559 patients admitted (10 336 in 2020 and 11 233 in 2021). No significant difference in average age was observed between fiscal year (FY) 2020 and FY 2021 (62.5±16.6 years vs 62.3±16.8 years, respectively; p=0.69). However, the average length of stay differed (13.6±23.9 days vs 12.9±17.5 days, respectively; p<0.01). Logistic regression analysis revealed an OR for DCWO of 1.008 (95% CI 1.002 to 1.015; p=0.007), indicating that an increase in DCWO was associated with the occurrence of mild incidents (where treatment was not necessary). Multiple regression analyses also revealed the association between DCWO and drug-related incidents (p=0.011) and mild incidents (treatment was not necessary; p=0.010).
conclusionsChanges in departmental configurations during the COVID-19 pandemic influenced patients' conditions and the frequency of mild incidents, highlighting the importance of patient safety considerations in hospital ward operations.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.