Survey on the actual number of nurses required for critical patients with COVID-19 in Japanese intensive care units: Preliminary report

Determining the number of nurses required for patients with coronavirus disease receiving mechanical ventilation and/or veno-veno extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is important to provide quality care. Therefore, we conducted this cross-sectional survey of 725 intensive care units in Japan. Data from 152 units with experience of managing patients with coronavirus disease who required tracheal intubation were analyzed. The median number of nurses required for a patient receiving mechanical ventilation or veno-veno extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was two. This number was more than that according to the Japanese standard determined by government. We conclude that more nursing staff is required for caring for patients critically ill with coronavirus disease in intensive care units.