SinAiEM - By Nachi Gupta - 27 January, 2017
"The short answer is that it might. While it may not be surprising to you that ED crowding is detrimental to overall patient care, it may surprise you that it could be linked to inpatient mortality. At least a few studies have been looking in that direction...
Solutions for ED crowding have been posed and research is continually ongoing. As a clinician, you should remain cognizant that ED crowding may indirectly affect patients admitted to the hospital. For your practice, keep a focus on rapid but appropriate disposition. In addition, during periods of heavy crowding, if a patient can follow up outpatient with ED return precautions, it may be more appropriate for their care and for the care of other patients already in the hospital. Lastly, when boarding a significant number of patients, transfer to another hospital for admission may result in better patient outcomes."