Dementia Patients Could Make ER Boarding More of a Problem

A growing crisis affecting hospitals in the United States is the practice of ER boarding. The term describes the practice of hospital emergency departments keeping patients under observation as they wait for a bed to open up. An article published by the Association of Health Care Journalists last year called it “a horror story that’s largely hidden from public view,” and a New Hampshire judge ordered the state’s hospitals to end the practice in 2023.

Now, health care professionals and affected families are seeing another crisis intersect this one: a growing number of dementia patients could create an even larger problem for hospitals working to reduce wait times. A joint Associated Press/Side Effects Public Media investigation reveals harrowing conditions at some hospitals, including one description of a man with dementia who had to wait for 12 hours in a hospital’s emergency room before being evaluated by psychiatric staff.

Writing at the Associated Press, Devna Bose and Benjamin Thorp cite some alarming figures pointing to the gulf between hospital capacity and an aging population. Among the numbers Bose and Thorp cite is data from the American Hospital Association showing that the number of “staffed hospital beds” dropped by over 50,000 from 2003 to 2023.

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The AP’s report also cites a scientific study that shows that lengthy boarding times can lead to the development of delirium among dementia patients. “The findings suggest that [emergency department] boarding duration is a direct risk factor for developing delirium or severe agitation during inpatient admission,” the authors wrote. “Building on prior study results, we found this risk to be magnified in patients with dementia.”

With an aging population, it’s not hard to imagine these issues magnifying in the coming years. Health care professionals and the family members of people with dementia are equally aware of the severity of the issue; the question remains as to how best to alleviate this crisis in the making.