Surgical Nurses' Experience of Hallway Healthcare

Abstract

Background: Hallway healthcare refers to the practice of providing patient care in hospital hallways. Although traditionally associated with overcrowded emergency departments, this practice has increasingly extended into inpatient units as a strategy to alleviate chronic overcrowding and improve bed flow. This study explores nurses lived experiences of providing hallway healthcare in surgical inpatient settings.

Methods: A qualitative study, guided by interpretive description, was used to explore the experiences of nurses working in surgical inpatient settings in Ontario, Canada. Purposeful sampling was used to recruit nine nurses with direct experience providing hallway healthcare. Data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews and analyzed thematically to identify key patterns relevant to the focus of the inquiry.

Results: Three main themes were identified: Part of the Job; Responsible Without Power; Constrained in Care and Voice; and Relational Disruption. Rather than serving as a temporary strategy to facilitate bed flow, hallway healthcare had become routine. Driven by top-down organizational decisions, participants' practice was constrained within spaces perceived as unsafe. The presence of patients in hallways, alongside overextended staff, eroded trust, strained relationships, and ultimately compromised the quality of patient care participants felt they were able to provide.

Conclusion: The findings add to the growing literature on the adverse impact of hallway healthcare and underscore the need for healthcare systems and organizations to move beyond it by investing in capacity, workforce, and environments that enable safe, ethical, and dignified practice.