Frail Older Patients' Experiences During Boarding in the Emergency Department: A Qualitative Study.
Charlotte Bjurbo, Ulrika Eriksson, Åsa Muntlin
PMID 40898611WHAT IT FOUND
Frail older patients waiting in an emergency department described feeling forgotten and unsure who was responsible, with unmet pain, hunger, thirst and privacy needs.
They still trusted nurses and hoped care would come when ward admission arrived.
Key findings
01Frail older patients described feeling disregarded, forgotten and uncertain who was responsible during emergency department boarding.
02Some patients reported unmet basic nursing needs, including pain not assessed or relieved and no food or drink despite extended stays.
03Hope persisted when patients perceived nurses as trustworthy and professional, even amid long waits and care deficiencies.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only 19 patients were interviewed at one emergency department, and inclusion occurred during daytime only. Patients with dementia, confusion, language barriers, life support or advanced monitoring were excluded, so the most vulnerable boarding experiences may be missing. Interviews were sometimes short, and no participant feedback or observation was used. The findings are patient experiences, not measured outcomes such as falls, pain relief, infection, mortality or length of stay. The researchers were experienced emergency nurses, which may help understanding but also shaped interpretation.
Declared interests
No conflicts of interest are reported in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these themes as proof that a particular nursing routine will reduce harm or improve outcomes. The study describes 19 patients' experiences in one emergency department and did not test an intervention or measure clinical outcomes.