Patients in Canadian emergency rooms are being examined and treated in chairs, waiting rooms, closets, and washrooms [1].
This trend, described as "chair care," highlights a critical failure in hospital infrastructure. When patients cannot move from the emergency department to inpatient wards due to a lack of available beds, the resulting congestion forces medical staff to provide care in non-traditional and often inappropriate spaces [1, 2].
The practice has become widespread across emergency rooms in Canada [1, 2]. Because there are not enough inpatient beds to accommodate the volume of sick and injured people, the emergency departments have become overcrowded [1, 2]. This bottleneck means that patients who require hospital admission remain in the ER, occupying the limited space available for new arrivals.
Medical staff are now utilizing any available square footage to manage the patient load. This includes treating individuals in public waiting areas or secluded spaces such as closets and washrooms [1, 2]. The shift toward chair-based medicine is a direct result of the shortage of hospital beds, which prevents the efficient flow of patients through the healthcare system [1, 2].
While the specific number of patients affected by these conditions was not provided, the reports indicate that the lack of beds is the primary driver of this systemic issue [1, 2]. The reliance on makeshift care areas suggests a growing gap between the demand for acute care and the capacity of the Canadian hospital system to provide it [1, 2].
“Patients in Canadian emergency rooms are being examined and treated in chairs, waiting rooms, closets, and washrooms.”
The emergence of 'chair care' indicates a systemic collapse in patient throughput. When inpatient beds are unavailable, the emergency department ceases to function as a triage and stabilization unit and instead becomes a long-term holding area. This not only compromises patient privacy and dignity but also increases the risk of medical errors and delays in critical care delivery.
