Overnight stay in the emergency department hallway

Overnight stay in the emergency department hallway has been studied in 1 paper since 2026: 1 observational study in people; 1 in the past year. The newest story, Nov 13, 2026: “Hallway nights not linked to delirium or severe agitation”.

Exposure

1 paper studies it2 findingsUpdated Oct 14, 2026

1 new paper in 30 daysSee all 1 papers on overnight stay in the emergency department hallway

At a glance

The findings reach people, from one lab or study. 1 lab.

“An overnight stay in the ED hallway was not associated with delirium and severe agitation”

Impact of an Overnight Stay in the Emergency Department Hallway on Admitted Geriatric PatientsThe western journal of emergency medicine2026doi:10.5811/westjem.64046

None of its findings points the other way.

1 lab

Humans1

What did studies of overnight stay in the emergency department hallway find?

Studies of overnight stay in the emergency department hallway measured one outcome, incident delirium and severe agitation.

Incident delirium and severe agitation

no changein humans1OR 1.06

1 study

Overnight stay in the emergency department hallway was not clearly linked with incident delirium and severe agitation in humans (Compared with an overnight stay in an ED room before general medicine admission) (OR 1.06, 95% CI 0.58–1.94; P = .84).
“An overnight stay in the ED hallway was not associated with delirium and severe agitation”
HumansCompared with an overnight stay in an ED room before general medicine admissionmidnight to 8 amn = 8,576
Hallway nights not linked to delirium or severe agitation
The western journal of emergency medicineOct 14, 2026

What is overnight stay in the emergency department hallway linked with?

Studies link overnight stay in the emergency department hallway with hospital length of stay.

Hospital length of stay

upin humans1OR 1.01

1 study

Overnight stay in the emergency department hallway is associated with hospital length of stay in humans (Compared with an overnight stay in an ED room before general medicine admission) (OR 1.01, 95% CI 1.00–1.01 per hour; P = .01).
“There was no association between an overnight stay in the hallway and secondary outcomes except increased hospital LOS”
HumansCompared with an overnight stay in an ED room before general medicine admissionmidnight to 8 amn = 8,576
Hallway nights not linked to delirium or severe agitation
The western journal of emergency medicineOct 14, 2026

Latest

1 paper in 12 months

The Western Journal of Emergency MedicineNov 13

Hallway nights not linked to delirium or severe agitation

Among patients aged 65 and older, delirium or severe agitation occurred in 13% in hallways versus 9% in rooms, but adjustment found no association.Among patients aged 65 and older, delirium or severe agitation occurred in 13% in hallways versus 9% in rooms, but adjustment found no association.

Cohort · 8,576 peopleDelirium

Paper