Pt beds in the hallway

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Not to start an ER vs. Med/Surg/ICU battle, but I attended a class at work that turned ugly. What it boils down to is: ER nurses wanting to add patient beds to the (med/surg/tele/ICU) floors in the hallway, to facilitate moving patients out of the ER quicker. And the hospital is considering it. Has anyone ever heard of this? We're talking about putting sick patients in hospital beds in the hallway and providing patient care there. I see so many things wrong with that picture, but they all thought it was a perfectly acceptable solution to fixing "flow" problems in the ED. Any thoughts on the matter, without starting World War III?

The hospital I work in has hallway pts and playroom pts. These are their permanent rooms not a waiting place until rooms are cleaned. Same hospital has place two pts on stretchers in a single private room with a blanket inbetween.

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Specializes in Advanced Practice, surgery.

Where I work in the UK we have something called an escalation policy, in this if the emergency unit is exceeding capacity both in trolleys and in the corridor then the wards accept patients on trolleys in the corridors. THey are only put there if there is a definate discharge on the ward that can take place within the next hour.

Yes it poses health and safety risks and patient safety risks but these risks are there if they are nursed in a trolley on a ward or in the corridor in the emergency unit.

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

I hope it never happens on my OB floor. Here, let me help you breastfeed your baby, let me assess your nipples, let me check your lochia in the hallway in front of everybody & their uncle. I don't think OB is the only place where people would like their privacy, either. No thanks.

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Specializes in midwifery, NICU.

I remember having bone marrow aspiration in a hallway..our local hospital was on a red alert status, and was full. So I needed bone marrow aspirated from my hip, was done right in the hallway with screens round...the most PAINFUL procedure I have ever encountered ..and the most humiliating! not sure , no Certainly sure, I would not tolerate this now, but then, just took the docs at face value.

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Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.
Not to start an ER vs. Med/Surg/ICU battle, but I attended a class at work that turned ugly. What it boils down to is: ER nurses wanting to add patient beds to the (med/surg/tele/ICU) floors in the hallway, to facilitate moving patients out of the ER quicker. And the hospital is considering it. Has anyone ever heard of this? We're talking about putting sick patients in hospital beds in the hallway and providing patient care there. I see so many things wrong with that picture, but they all thought it was a perfectly acceptable solution to fixing "flow" problems in the ED. Any thoughts on the matter, without starting World War III?

Why not, ER nurses put pts in the Hallway all the time. Are you saying floor nurses cant do it. And generally because we cant get our patients to the floor.

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Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.
This is soooo wrong on so many levels. Starting with privacy and HIPPA and Ending with already overworked and understaffed floor nurses.

So floor nurse cant be overworked like ER nurses. Interesting thought.

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

I think for safety and HIPAA reasons, this is clearly a horrible solution. Not because one unit is more overworked than the other.

Like the OP said, let's try not to make this yet another battle between departments. A solution from someone, that is viable, would be very nice.

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

I don't think it's fair that ER nurses have to put their patients in the hallway either.

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after one of my surgery i was placed in the hall. this was because they were suposed to have a discharge that did not happen.

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Where I work in the UK we have something called an escalation policy, in this if the emergency unit is exceeding capacity both in trolleys and in the corridor then the wards accept patients on trolleys in the corridors. THey are only put there if there is a definate discharge on the ward that can take place within the next hour.

Yes it poses health and safety risks and patient safety risks but these risks are there if they are nursed in a trolley on a ward or in the corridor in the emergency unit.[/quote

not seen this yet in the UK, we do have a discharge lounge to free up beds while awauting TTO etc, trained nurse present and transport is booked to pick them up there

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Specializes in Peds,ER, Management, Critical Care.

I have had 26 admited pt in the Ed. Ambulances still coming and holding for off load. Pt's continue to come thru the front door into triage. All floors can close to admission but we can't close our doors. I think it's a great idea to move admits to hallways on the floor. It will help with our back log and speed up our 12 waits in the lobby. Spread the pain all around

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Specializes in Orthopedic/General Surgery.

I wonder if the patient satisfaction scores would apply to the hallway patients? I don't see how we could get a five from a patient in the hallway no matter how hard we tried. But I do know that whatever the problem/solution, fighting between the ER/floors is not going to solve anything and the rude remarks are neither fair or deserved.

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