Dive Brief:
- A man was found dead in the ED waiting room at a Bronx, NY hospital, having died at some point during an eight-hour wait for care.
- According to a news report, the 30-year-old patient entered the ED at about 10PM Sunday evening complaining about a rash. After his vitals were taken, he was told to sit in the waiting room until his name was called. He was found dead at about 6:40 AM.
- The hospital told a local news station that all hospital guidelines were followed, but an employee from the ED disagreed, telling the TV reporters that the ED was understaffed.
Dive Insight:
If patients are dropping dead in your ED waiting room, something is terribly wrong, whether you followed your procedures or not. Yes, there will be the occasional case where the patient turns out to have been much sicker than expected, but what kind of hospital doesn't notice when a patient is going critical under its nose?