SCHAUMBURG, Ill. – November 10, 2026 -- Hospitals where each nurse cared for four or fewer patients recorded average emergency department boarding times about 20 minutes shorter than hospitals where one nurse handled five or more patients, according to a study in the November issue of the Journal of Emergency Nursing (JEN).
Study of 335 hospitals in three states links staffing ratios to boarding times
Researchers reviewed nurse staffing data and ED boarding times from 335 hospitals in Florida, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. JEN describes the work as a first-of-its-kind study. The Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) publishes the journal.
Authors say staffing is an overlooked lever for patient throughput
The authors said improving nurse staffing levels is often overlooked as a strategy to reduce ED patient boarding and boost patient throughput. They noted that more than two decades of evidence tie inadequate nurse staffing to higher odds of patient mortality, hospital readmissions, prolonged hospital stays and more patients leaving the ED against medical advice. Few studies, however, have tested whether better staffing could reduce ED boarding.
JEN Editor Anna Valdez said the findings show that boarding times, which evidence has established negatively affect patients, can be reduced by appropriately staffing emergency departments.
November issue also covers maternal emergencies, fall risk and waiting-room triage
The issue also includes research on three other topics:
- Maternal early warning signs education to improve emergency nurse preparedness for obstetrical emergencies
- A quality improvement comparison of the Memorial Emergency Department Fall Risk Assessment Tool, which identifies substantially more at-risk ED encounters than the Schmid tool
- A multisite observational study on nursing prioritization of emergency waiting room patients
JEN moves to fully digital publication in January 2027
ENA and Elsevier, the journal's longtime publisher, will transition JEN to a fully digital format in January 2027. The companies said the shift will allow continued growth in the number and variety of articles. JEN publishes six times a year.