Wait times for emergency hospitalizations continue to rise, with 1 in 20 Americans having to spend more than 24 hours in the emergency department before receiving a bed.
This is the warning of a new study led by the University of Michigan (U-M) Medical School, which looked into the problem known as "boarding."
"When patients come into an emergency department (ED) and undergo treatment, many will require ongoing care in the hospital for days. Those patients are 'admitted' and treatment teams in the ED request a hospital bed," study author and U-M Health emergency physician Alex Janke told Newsweek.
"When they wait for long periods of time, usually from a treatment space in the ED, this is what we mean by boarding."
Janke said the types of health conditions people might be waiting for em