Exploring the effects of emergency department crowding on emergency nurses
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence and practice    

Exploring the effects of emergency department crowding on emergency nurses

Amy Webster Research fellow in nursing and midwifery, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, England
Julie McGarry Professor in nursing and gender-based violence, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, England

Why you should read this article:
  • To understand the various factors that influence crowding (overcrowding) in emergency departments

  • To be aware of the limited literature on the effects of crowding on emergency nurses

  • To recognise the effects of crowding on nurses' workload and mental health and well-being

Although the phenomenon of crowding in emergency departments (EDs) is not new, it remains a significant problem for patients, ED staff and the wider healthcare system. Crowding in EDs, which is also called overcrowding, has been widely explored in the literature, but there are relatively few studies of the subject from an emergency nurse perspective. This article reports the findings of a literature review that aimed to explore the effects of crowding on nurses working in EDs. Four key themes were identified from a synthesis of 16 articles included in the review: staffing and skill mix; inadequate care and the effect on nurses’ well-being and stress levels; violence in the ED; and hospital metrics and patient flow. Further research is required to explore in more depth the effects of ED crowding on emergency nurses and to address the multiple factors that perpetuate the phenomenon.

Emergency Nurse. doi: 10.7748/en.2024.e2211

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

Correspondence

amy.webster2@sheffield.ac.uk

Conflict of interest

None declared

Webster A, McGarry J (2024) Exploring the effect of emergency department crowding on emergency nurses. Emergency Nurse. doi: 10.7748/en.2024.e2211

Published online: 26 September 2024

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