Emergency Department Boarding Stories

“53 bed ED with 50 patients boarding in the ED unable to go to the floor due to nursing shortage (only five working beds to see new patients), and 50 patients in the waiting room with wait time typically 12 hrs but up to 20 hours. Patient dies in ED waiting room after waiting hours for a bed due to ED boarding of admitted patients, even though ED staff knew the patient had a pulmonary embolism on an outpatient CT scan.

Yes, ED boarding is killing our patients.

Yes, ED boarding is killing our patients. In one week, two patients died in our ED waiting room after waiting hours for a bed, all due to ED boarding. I wonder how many people have died in our ED waiting rooms nationwide due to ED boarding.”