Stranded in the emergency department: an analysis of boarding trends in older adults in the United States.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

The rapidly ageing population and multimorbidity are associated with increased emergency department (ED) visits by older adults. In the ED, older adults have higher risk of hospitalization, functional and cognitive decline, and mortality. Boarding, holding admitted patients in the ED awaiting a hospital bed, exacerbates these negative outcomes, which disproportionately affect older adults.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional analysis to investigate US boarding trends by age using clinical administrative data from 5 health systems and publicly available NHAMCS data from 2018 to 2024.

Results

Boarding ≥3 h in the ED has increased across diverse hospital types, with oldest adults (85+) facing the greatest risk (System 4: IRR [95% CI] = 1.18 [1.15-1.20], S

SUBMITTER: Sifnugel N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12548728 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature