Emergency department patients who stay more than 6 hours contribute to crowding.

Background: Admitted and discharged patients with prolonged emergency department (ED) stays may contribute to crowding by utilizing beds and staff time that would otherwise be used for new patients.

Objectives: To describe patients who stay > 6 h in the ED and determine their association with measures of crowding.

Methods: This was a retrospective, observational study carried out over 1 year at a single, urban, academic ED.