How Compassion and Care Can Improve Patient Boarding in the Emergency Department

This week, I’m talking with Dr. Bobby Hughes. Dr. Hughes is the Vice Chair of Quality for UH Emergency Medicine. He also serves as the Director of the UH Emergency Medicine Quality Network, the Director of University Health System Operations and Logistics, and the Medical Director of the UH System Operations Center. Dr. Hughes and I discuss the national state of emergency departments, specifically the complex challenge of boarding in the ED. According to a 2023 study in JAMA, an overnight stay at the ED increases elderly patient mortality from 11% up to 16%. Join us as we discuss: - How boarding in the ED affects patients and the healthcare system - Potential ways to solve boarding and capacity in the ED - Turning strangers into neighbors in the ED