The Italian national survey on Coronavirus disease 2019 epidemic spread in nursing homes

Introduction Residents in facilities such as nursing homes (NHs) are particularly vulnerable to Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19). A national survey was carried out to collect information on the spreading and impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection in nursing homes, and on how suspected and/or confirmed cases were managed. We carried out a survey between 25 March 2020 and 5 May 2020. Materials and Methods All Italian nursing homes either public or providing services both privately and within the NHS were included in the study. An on‐line questionnaire was sent to 3292 nursing homes across all Italian regions. Nursing homes were also contacted by telephone to provide assistance in completing the questionnaire. Results A total of 1356 nursing homes voluntarily participated to the survey, hosting a total of 100,806 residents. Overall, 9154 residents died due to any cause from February 1 to the time when the questionnaire was completed (from March 25 to May 5). Of these, 7.4% had COVID‐19 and 33.8% had flu‐like symptoms, corresponding to a cumulative incidence of 0.7 and 3.1, respectively. Lack of personnel, difficulty in transferring patients to hospital or other facility, isolating residents with COVID‐19, number of beds and geographical area were the main factor positively associated to the presence of COVID‐19 in nursing homes. Discussion This survey showed the dissemination and impact of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection in Italian nursing homes and on how older and potentially chronically ill people residing in these long‐term care facilities were managed. Key points Dissemination and impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection in Italian nursing homes How elderly and potentially chronically ill people residing in these long‐term care facilities were managed The mortality profile in the Italian nursing homes