Brigham nurses call for investigation, say hospital isn’t following COVID-19 order

Mass General Brigham nurses are requesting an investigation into whether the hospital is complying with the state Department of Public Health’s order to reduce the frequency of some procedures due to COVID-19.

The pandemic regulation calls for hospitals to have 15 percent staff bed availability, or to initially reduce non-urgent, non-essential procedures by 30 percent from the 2019 numbers, and to increase that number to 50 percent by Wednesday.

The measure is supposed to help with bed shortages, long wait times after surgery, the need for staff for traumatic surgeries, and those waiting in the emergency room while cosmetic and other non-essential procedures are being performed, according to the Massachusetts Nurses Association, the union that represents the nurses.

“In one recent instance, a woman who entered the BWH ED with a brain bleed was forced to wait because of the delays associated with the high surgical volume,” the MNA wrote to the state in a Dec. 13 letter. “Every day, the ED has dozens of patients who are sick enough to be admitted to the hospital but are waiting for a bed. Likewise, when the PACU [Post-Anesthesia Care Unit] is running short staffed, patients are left waiting on the OR tables or their urgent cases get delayed.”

As for the operating room, “almost every day” begins without enough staff, the MNA said.

“Nurses on orientation are being pulled into cases where they are not competent,” the letter said. “The hospital is also relying on travelers who do not have proper experience. As a result of these hazardous conditions, at least four OR nurses have quit in recent weeks. The continued high volume of procedures, combined with the staffing and skill mix problems, is negatively impacting the quality of patient care, and burning out the nursing workforce.” 

To have more hospital capacity, for healthcare worker protection but also for patients, Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration put the new COVID-19 protocols into place. However, nurses contends that there are still surgeries, like removing excess skin and stomach tucks, that are going on in the hospital despite the order and staffing issues.

The hospital, however, maintains that it is following protocols.

“We are carefully balancing against the need to avoid contributing to the wave of patients that we are now seeing who require more intense care as a result of previously deferred care,” Brigham spokeswoman Lori Schroth told The Boston Globe in a statement. “We are also closely monitoring our patient volume and making decisions on a day-to-day basis that ensure we are doing everything possible to meet the needs of our community.”

DPH officials declined to comment to the Globe, except to confirm they are reviewing the union’s complaint.