May 11, 2007 - A new study of emergency patient preferences for boarding locations shows that admitted patients prefer to board out of the emergency department and in inpatient hallways by a margin of three to two. The study appears online in the Annals of Emergency Medicine (“Emergency department patient preferences for boarding locations when hospitals are at full capacity”).

“Boarding is never the preference of emergency physicians or their patients, but this study clearly shows that patients who must board prefer to get out of the emergency department and into inpatient hallways,” said study author Jesse Pines, M.D. of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. “In addition to raising patient satisfaction, transferring admitted patients out of the emergency department reduces crowding and gridlock, two of the most pernicious problems in emergency departments across the country.”

The study, conducted over a four-week period at an urban teaching hospital, surveyed 431 admitted patients. Of those who expressed a preference for boarding location (64 percent of the total), 59 percent preferred inpatient hallways and 41 percent preferred emergency department hallways. During the study period, the median weekly emergency department boarding time ranged from eight and a half hours to just over 12 hours.

“There are many rationales for rapid patient transfer out of the emergency department for admitted patients,” said Dr. Pines. “Boarding admitted patients on inpatient hallways may reduce emergency department crowding, locate patients geographically closer to their inpatient physician, and allow the patient’s plan of care to be implemented more rapidly and effectively. This study provides another good reason to transfer admitted patients out of the emergency department: patient preference.”

The study complements recommendations made by the American College of Emergency Physicians and the Institute of Medicine with regard to the practice of boarding. While some hospitals board patients admitted from the emergency department on inpatient hallways, most do not. Boarding in inpatient hallways has been deemed acceptable by the New York Department of Health, but hospitals have been slow to adopt the practice.

“High levels of emergency department boarding reduce the ability of emergency departments to treat new patients and compromise the quality of care,” said Dr. Pines. “Now we know that it is undesirable also in the eyes of our patients.”

For more information visit www.acep.org.


Related Content

News | Endoscopes

December 23, 2019 — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared for marketing in the U.S. the first fully disposable ...

Time December 23, 2019
arrow
News | Endoscopes

December 23, 2019 — Boston Scientific Corporation announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance of ...

Time December 23, 2019
arrow
News | Endoscopes

October 22, 2019 — OmniVision Technologies Inc. announced that its OV6948 camera module is the winner of the Guinness ...

Time October 22, 2019
arrow
News | Endoscopes

Hologic Inc. announced it has received a CE mark in Europe for its Omni hysteroscope, a three-in-one modular scope with advanced visualization capabilities designed for both diagnostic and therapeutic hysteroscopic procedures. Obstetricians and gynecologists (ObGyns) can use the new Omni hysteroscope in out- and inpatient settings.

Time March 14, 2019
arrow
Videos | Advanced Visualization

This is an example of a new endoscopic virtual peritoneal inflation tool on the patient's computed tomography (CT) ...

Time March 05, 2019
arrow
Videos | Advanced Visualization

This is an example of a new endoscopic 3-D imaging simulator created from a patient's computed tomography (CT) scan ...

Time March 05, 2019
arrow
Technology | Advanced Visualization

Fujifilm Medical Systems U.S.A. will debut the latest version of its Synapse 3D solution at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) global conference and exhibition, Feb. 11-15 in Orlando, Fla. The latest Synapse 3D Advanced Visualization software introduces five new applications, in addition to its current 50 clinical applications, that will be available for demonstration.

Time February 08, 2019
arrow
Technology | Lung Imaging

Body Vision Medical, a medical device company specializing in lung cancer diagnostics, announced the launch of its LungVision platform. The platform will be presented at the CHEST conference, Oct. 7-10 in San Antonio, Texas.

Time October 05, 2018
arrow
News | Endoscopes

During the 2018 Digestive Disease Week (DDW) conference June 2-5 in Washington, D.C., the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE), in collaboration with Touch Surgery, demonstrated three mobile-accessed and video-based simulations at ASGE’s Learning Center. Working closely with ASGE, Touch Surgery was able to convert endoscopic procedural videos into interactive mini-simulations.

Time June 11, 2018
arrow
News | Ultrasound Imaging

Olympus, a global technology leader in designing and delivering innovative solutions for medical and surgical procedures ...

Time June 04, 2018
arrow
Subscribe Now