Objectives Homelessness is associated with increased morbidity and mortality, as well as increased rates of hospitalizations. Once hospitalized, homeless patients have longer hospital stays than housed persons, and hospital costs have been found to be increased for homeless patients. We sought to describe hospital discharge delays for nonmedical reasons and their relationship to the housing status of participants. Study Design Retrospective chart review of admissions and discharges between January 1 and June 30, 2009 at a large, urban safety net hospital. Methods All inpatients who experienced discharge delays for nonmedical or external causes were participants, and the main measures included length of and reasons for discharge delay. Results Persons identified as homeless constituted 106 (42.9%) of the discharge delays. Homeless patients were younger, more likely to be male, and more likely to be uninsured than housed patients. The unadjusted median number of delay days was significantly longer for homeless (8 days) than housed patients (4 days) (p<0.001). Multivariate analyses demonstrated that homeless patients without a psychiatric diagnosis had 60.1% longer discharge delays than housed patients without a psychiatric diagnosis (p=0.011). Discussion Among patients without psychiatric diagnoses who are medically ready for discharge, homeless patients experience more frequent and longer discharge delays than housed patients. Medical respite care has the potential to decrease unnecessary hospitalization days and improve access to after-hospital services that have proven to be beneficial for this population. Further prospective study of discharge delays may help to establish the cost-effectiveness of respite care.

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Mass casualty incidents (MCI), particularly involving pediatric patients, are high-risk, low-frequency occurrences that require exceptional emergency arrangements and advanced preparation. In the aftermath of an MCI, it is essential for medical personnel to accurately and promptly triage patients according to their acuity and urgency for care. As first responders bring patients from the field to the hospital, medical personnel are responsible for prompt secondary triage of these patients to appropriately delegate hospital resources. The JumpSTART triage algorithm (a variation of the Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment, or START, triage system) was originally designed for prehospital triage by prehospital providers but can also be used for secondary triage in the emergency department setting. This technical report describes a novel simulation-based curriculum for pediatric emergency medicine residents, fellows, and attendings involving the secondary triage of patients in the aftermath of an MCI in the emergency department. This curriculum highlights the importance of the JumpSTART triage algorithm and how to effectively implement it in the MCI setting.