Frequently Asked Questions

This dashboard provides annual data on emergency department (ED) boarding across Connecticut hospitals. It helps healthcare professionals, policy makers, and the public monitor ED capacity, patient wait times, and trends to identify challenges in the healthcare system and inform resource allocation.

ED boarding refers to the practice of keeping patients physically in the emergency department after they have been admitted to the hospital but before they are transferred to an inpatient unit. This often occurs when inpatient beds are not available or when there are staffing constraints. Based on national consensus guidelines “boarding” and definitions used here this occurs when a patient remains in the ED for 4 hours or more after admission.

Under CT state statute PA 24-4 CT hospitals are required to report annually the overall volume, admissions, time to admission, and boarding percentage (>4h) for admission. The 2024 data has been collated into a report from the Connectictut Hospital Association. We will update the data at least annually as it is provided.

Average Wait Time represents the mean duration (in hours) from arrival to the ED until an admission order is placed.

Yes, the dashboard provides options to download the data from the 'Data Downloads' page. Historical data is also available for trend analysis.

This dashboard is maintained by the Connecticut College of Emergency Physicians (CCEP) in partnership with the Connecticut Hospital Association. It is part of a statewide initiative to improve emergency care and reduce boarding times.

You can report technical issues, data discrepancies, or provide general feedback through the Experiences & Questions page. Your input helps us continuously improve the dashboard's accuracy and usefulness.