| Background: Emergency Department (ED) crowding has led to the practice of caring for patients in the ED who are admitted to the hospital, but are waiting for inpatient beds; a practice known as boarding. Boarding in the ED has been shown to negatively affect patient outcomes. ED nurses need preparation to care for the critically ill, boarded patients in the ED. There is little evidence that describes how to best educate ED nurses to care for this patient population.;Objectives: The purpose of this pilot study was to describe the nursing care and interventions performed by ED nurses, caring for critical care, boarded patients in an academic medical center. This information could then be used to develop critical care education targeted to ED nurses.;Methods: This study used a non-experimental, descriptive design, and retrospective chart review of electronic health records to collect data on critical care patients boarded in the ED for ≥ 3 hours (n=35).;Results: The majority of patients were male with a median age of 60 years. The primary diagnosis was sepsis, with many of the nursing interventions focused on guideline-recommended therapy. Patients ≥ 55 years had higher acuities, required more critical care interventions, and had more in-hospital mortality. Future studies with a larger, more inclusive sample, and more variables of interest would be beneficial to best inform a critical care education program for ED nurses. |
