More Evidence That ED Crowding Harms Patients

Boarded patients experience medication delays, longer hospital stays, and higher mortality but are less likely than nonboarded patients to experience delays in some tests.

The December 2011 issue of Academic Emergency Medicine is dedicated to the proceedings of a consensus conference on emergency department (ED) crowding. Several articles in the issue address the effect of ED crowding and boarding on patient care and outcomes.

In a retrospective study of 41,256 patients admitted to an academic hospital from the ED, Singer and colleagues found that mortality and hospital length of stay increased significantly with increasing ED boarding time. In analysis that controlled for comorbidities, mortality increased from 2.5% in patients boarded for <2 hours to 4.5% in patients boarded for ≥12 hours. Mean hospital stay increased from 5.6 days for those boarded for <2 hours to 8.7 days for those boarded for ≥12 hours.

Si…

Reviewing Author

Diane M. Birnbaumer, MD, FACEP

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory boardSecurisyn

Editorial boardsThe Merck Manuals (Home and Physician Editions)

Diane M. Birnbaumer, MD, FACEP

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory boardSecurisyn

Editorial boardsThe Merck Manuals (Home and Physician Editions)