Risk Factors, Costs, and Impacts of ED Boarding (NCT07532564) | Clinical Trial Compass
CompletedNot Applicable
Risk Factors, Costs, and Impacts of ED Boarding
United States30,486 participantsStarted 2022-01-01
Plain-language summary
The goal of this observational study is to learn about the risk factors, costs, and operational impacts of emergency department boarding (patients admitted to the hospital but remaining in the emergency department awaiting placement on an inpatient floor)
The main questions it aims to answer is:
1. What characteristics of patients make them more likely to experience ED boarding?
2. What is the impact of ED boarding on costs of health care?
3. How do high-boarding environments affect the clinical care of all patients in the emergency department, including those that do not board themselves.
Data will be secondary in nature, collected in the regular Participants already taking intervention A as part of their regular medical care for RA will answer online survey questions about their joint pain for 5 years.
Who can participate
Age range
18 Years
Sex
ALL
See this in plain English?
AI-rewrites the medical criteria so a patient or caregiver can understand them. Always confirm with the trial site.
Inclusion Criteria:
* adults (\> 18 years old) presenting to UMMS system hospitals ED
* Patients hospitalized by inpatient or observation status over study period (2022-2025)
* Admitted to a service that directly manages boarding patient in the ED. At UMMC, patient should be admitted to an internal medicine team Med 1-4, Med 6, Med 5, med/surg/tele level (no IMC/ICU) and neurology floor level.
Exclusion Criteria:
* Patients admitted to cardiology, cancer center, surgical services
* Patients admitted to not floor level status (IMC/ICU)
Questions worth asking your doctor
Bring these to your next appointment. They're a starting point for a shared conversation — not a sign you qualify or a recommendation to enrol.
1This study is about 'ED boarding' — which means patients waiting in the emergency department for an inpatient bed — and my condition is one of the ones they studied, so can you explain how long boarding times in the ED might actually affect my care or safety if I ever need to be admitted through the emergency department?
2Since this was an observational study that tracked boarding time as its main outcome, rather than testing a new treatment, can you tell me whether the findings from research like this have changed how your hospital manages patients with conditions like mine who end up waiting in the ED?
3The trial included a wide range of serious conditions like sepsis, heart failure, stroke, and sickle cell disease — is my specific condition one where delays in getting from the ED to an inpatient bed are known to be especially risky, and is that something I should have a plan for?
4Now that this study is completed, are there any published results or policy changes at this hospital that came out of research on ED boarding that I should know about when thinking through my emergency care options?
5If I ever end up in the ED needing admission, what can I or my family do — or what should we ask for — to help minimize the risks that come with a long wait for an inpatient bed, given what studies like this one have found?
Generated to help you prepare — always confirm anything about your own eligibility and care with the study team and your doctor.
Questions for the trial coordinator
The trial coordinator is the person who runs the study day to day. These cover the practical side — logistics, costs, and what taking part would actually mean for your life. The study team confirms whether you meet the criteria; these are questions to ask, not a sign you qualify.
1What does taking part actually involve week to week — how many visits, where, and how long does each one take?
2What costs are covered by the study, and what might I have to pay for myself, including travel, parking, or time off work?
3What happens during screening, and what happens if the study team confirms I don't meet the criteria after those tests?
4Who pays for the scans, blood work, and other tests the trial requires — the study, my insurance, or me?
5How will being in the trial affect my regular care, and will my own doctor stay informed and involved?
6Can I leave the trial at any point if I change my mind, and what would happen to my care if I do?
A starting point for the conversation — always confirm anything about your own eligibility, costs, and care with the study team and your doctor.
What they're measuring
1
Boarding Time
Timeframe: During enrollment hospital encounter, up to 300 days