When the Emergency Room Has No Room: What Hospital Overcrowding Means for People With Adrenal Insufficiency

What happens when you need emergency care for adrenal insufficiency and the hospital has no available bed? Emergency department boarding can complicate timely treatment, medication continuity, and communication—concerns that matter for people with Addison’s disease, secondary adrenal insufficiency, and steroid-induced adrenal insufficiency.

In this My Adrenal Life episode, Lily and James explore Christin Disler’s article, “When the Emergency Room Has No Room: What Hospital Overcrowding Means for People With Adrenal Insufficiency.” They connect the physiology of cortisol deficiency with research on hospital boarding and practical ways patients and advocates can communicate urgent needs.

In this episode:

• How boarding after a decision to admit differs from the initial triage wait

• Why cortisol replacement and changes in illness severity need ongoing attention during handoffs

• What observational studies suggest about medication errors and treatment delays—and what they cannot establish about adrenal-specific outcomes

• Differences between primary, secondary, and tertiary adrenal insufficiency

• Prescribed emergency injection kits, individualized rescue plans, and the role of a patient advocate

• What EMTALA requires and why it does not guarantee an immediate inpatient bed or a particular triage priority

Suspected adrenal crisis requires immediate emergency care. Follow your prescribed rescue plan and injection training, call emergency services, and do not delay care because a hospital is crowded. Discuss your own emergency plan and medication needs with your healthcare team.

The boarding studies discussed involve general patient populations. They do not prove that boarding causes a particular rate of adrenal crisis or establish outcomes specifically for people with adrenal insufficiency.

Learn more about living with adrenal insufficiency:

https://www.MyAdrenalLife.com

Connect with others—request to join the My Adrenal Life Facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/myadrenallife

Based on the November 10, 2026 article by Christin Disler:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/myadrenallife/posts/1595228062332975/

AI-generated hosts. Educational information and community support, not individualized medical advice. Discuss personal care with your qualified healthcare team.