Emergency department
hideThe emergency department (ED), sometimes termed the emergency room (ER), emergency ward (EW), accident & emergency (A&E) department or casualty department is a hospital or primary care department that provides initial treatment to patients with a broad spectrum of illnesses and injuries, some of which may be life-threatening and requiring immediate attention. Emergency departments developed during the 20th century in response to an increased need for rapid assessment and management of critical illnesses. In some countries, emergency departments have become important entry points for those without other means of access to medical care. The abbreviation ER is generally used throughout the United States, while A&E is used in many Commonwealth nations. ED is preferred in Canada and Australia, and Casualty is common in Scotland.
Upon arrival to the ED, people typically undergo a brief triage, or sorting, interview to help determine the nature and severity of their illness. Individuals with serious illnesses are then seen by a physician more rapidly than those with less severe symptoms or injuries. After initial assessment and treatment, patients are either admitted to the hospital, stabilized and transferred to another hospital for various reasons, or discharged. The staff in emergency departments can include not only doctors and nurses, but physician assistants (PAs) and nurse practitioners with specialized training in emergency medicine and in house Paramedics and/or emergency medical technicians, respiratory therapists, radiologic technologists, Healthcare Assistants (HCAs), medical scribes, volunteers, and other support staff who all work as a team to treat emergency patients and provide support to anxious family members. The emergency departments of most hospitals operate around the clock, although staffing levels are usually much lower at night. Since a diagnosis must be made by an attending physician, the patient is initially assigned a chief complaint rather than a diagnosis. This is usually a symptom: headache, nausea, loss of consciousness. The chief complaint remains a primary fact until the attending physician eventually makes a diagnosis.
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News tagged with emergency department
Fewer emergency patients seen within recommended time frame
Nov 09, 2009 |
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One in four emergency department patients in 2006 waited longer to be evaluated by a clinician than recommended at triage, an increase from one in five in 1997, according to a report in the November 9 issue of Archives of ...
Experts offer strategies for working with immigrant victims of violence (w/ Video)
Nov 10, 2009 |
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Last year, the United States provided asylum and resettlement assistance for nearly 80,700 people from other countries, an increase from 71,300 individuals in 2007, according to the U.S. Committee for Refugees ...
Don't add an ER visit to your holiday plans
Nov 18, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- UNC emergency physician Abhi Mehrotra, M.D., explains how you can avoid the most common injuries that land people in a hospital emergency department during the four-day Thanksgiving holiday period.
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Parent mentors can improve the asthmatic care of minority children, researchers find
9 minutes ago |
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UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have found that informed adults can help families stave off complications associated with asthma. The findings, available online and in the December issue of Pediatrics, suggest that i ...
Glass Thermometers Still a Safety Hazard
Nov 03, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A study by emergency physicians at Children's Hospital Boston provides a wakeup call to parents to get rid of their old glass thermometers. A 12year review of patients seen in Children's emergency department ...
On-call radiology residents accurately interpret off-hours neuro CT exams
Nov 25, 2009 |
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On-call radiology residents generally provide accurate preliminary interpretation of emergency neuroradiology CT scans after hours when attending neuroradiologist unavailable, according to results of a large study performed ...
Developmental drug may help bone fractures heal after radiation exposure
Nov 02, 2009 |
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A drug currently under development by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine may help bone fractures heal more quickly after radiation exposure, according to a study by Pitt researchers. The study's results will ...
Continuous chest compression-CPR improved cardiac arrest survival in Arizona
Nov 16, 2009 |
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The chance of surviving a cardiac arrest outside a hospital was found to be twice as high when bystanders performed continuous chest compressions without mouth-to-mouth breathing than when bystanders performed standard CPR. ...
Jumping on the bandwagon: Introducing the next generation multi-band radio to emergency responders
Nov 02, 2009 |
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Tom Chirhart knows a lot about radios, but over the last year, he's gotten a real life lesson in supply and demand.
CDC Confirms Four New Cases of Oseltamivir (Tamiflu)-Resistant H1N1
Nov 20, 2009 |
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Tests performed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at the request of infectious disease experts at Duke University Medical Center have confirmed this week that isolates from four patients with H1N1 influenza ...
Wikileaks releases pager intercepts from 9/11
Nov 25, 2009 |
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Whistleblower website Wikileaks began publishing on Wednesday what it said were hundreds of thousands of pager messages from the day of the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington.
Seniors must use it or lose it, study shows
Nov 17, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Doris Stinson has learned that it's never too late to start exercising. The 85-year-old Stoney Creek woman has regained her strength and maintained her independence after enrolling in Hamilton-based physical ...
Children who lack continuity with a regular health care provider miss needed services
Nov 23, 2009 |
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Low-income children who don't access health care from the same place or provider over the long term are significantly more likely to have unmet health care needs compared with those do, according to a new study published ...
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