Study among the first to show relationship between nurse staffing, emergency department boarding times
SCHAUMBURG, Ill. , Nov. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The November issue of the Journal of Emergency Nursing includes a first-of-its-kind study that shows hospitals with better nurse staffing levels saw lower average emergency department boarding times than hospitals with high patient-to-nurse ratios.
Researchers reviewed nurse staffing data and ED boarding times from 335 hospitals in Florida, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. In hospitals where each nurse cared for four or fewer patients, the study found average ED boarding times were about 20 minutes shorter than in hospitals where one nurse was responsible for five or more patients.
"Safe and appropriate staffing is critical to improving outcomes for emergency nurses and the communities they serve," said JEN Editor Anna Valdez, PhD, RN, PHN, CEN, CFRN, FAEN, FAADN, FADLN. "This study demonstrates that boarding times, which the evidence has established negatively impact patients, can be reduced by appropriately staffing emergency departments."
The study's authors said improving nurse staffing levels is often overlooked as a strategy to red...