Psychiatric Boarding
The practice of holding individuals in psychiatric crisis in emergency departments or other non-psychiatric settings while awaiting an inpatient psychiatric bed.
Full Definition
Psychiatric boarding occurs when patients experiencing acute psychiatric crises are medically cleared but cannot be transferred to an appropriate psychiatric inpatient unit due to a shortage of available beds. These individuals may remain in emergency departments—sometimes for days—without access to psychiatric-specific treatment. It is a systemic capacity issue documented in emergency medicine literature, mental health policy reports, and accreditation surveys. Editors should note that 'boarding' in this context is a psychiatric-specific usage and should not be confused with its general meaning. The term is rendered as an open compound (two words, no hyphen).
Usage
Usage note: Do not hyphenate. Context is essential: 'boarding' in psychiatric documents always refers to holding a patient pending bed placement, not accommodation.
In Context
- "Psychiatric boarding rates increased by 30% following the closure of the state hospital unit." — Mental health system capacity report
- "The article examines how psychiatric boarding worsens outcomes for individuals in acute crisis." — Health policy journal article