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
Penicillin Allergy Not Always Accurate
Medicine & Health / Medications
Feb 26, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- If you think that you are allergic to penicillin, ask yourself this: How do you know?
Doctors' orders lost in translation
Jul 17, 2008 |
4.3 / 5 (3) |
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When patients are discharged from the emergency department, their recovery depends on carefully following the doctors' instructions for their post care at home. Yet a vast majority of patients don't fully understand what ...
Camphor-containing products may cause seizures in children
May 06, 2009 |
5 / 5 (2) |
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Inappropriate use of camphor-containing products may be a common and underappreciated cause of seizures in young children, according to a new study by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. ...
Retail clinics less likely to be located in underserved communities
May 25, 2009 |
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Despite reports indicating that placement of retail clinics are determined by physician shortages and higher uninsured populations, these clinics appear to be located in more advantaged neighborhoods, according to a report ...
Artificial Intelligence Shuffles Schedules, Cuts Patients' Wait Times
Dec 03, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Some of the same artificial intelligence (AI) underlying NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope is now streamlining patient care at Strong Memorial Hospital, helping radiologists and technologists ...
Study shows cost-effectiveness of 64-slice CT scanner in emergency department chest pain patients
Jul 17, 2008 |
5 / 5 (1) |
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A recent study led by Rahul Khare, MD, emergency department physician and assistant director of operations at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, sought to determine the cost-effectiveness of utilizing a CT scanner to evaluate ...
Coronary CTA costs less than standard of care for triaging women with acute chest pain
Aug 08, 2008 |
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Non-invasive coronary CT angiography (CTA) is more cost-effective than current tests for diagnosing women with low risk of a heart attack who come to the emergency room with acute chest pain, according to a recent study conducted ...
24-hour drinking linked to shift in hospital attendance patterns
Oct 31, 2008 |
5 / 5 (1) |
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Since the UK's move to 24-hour drinking, a large city centre hospital in Birmingham has seen an increase in drink-related attendances between the hours of 3am and 6am. A new study, published in the open access journal BMC Pu ...
Mobile health clinics: Saving lives and money
Jun 01, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
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Every $1 invested in mobile healthcare for the medically disenfranchised saves $36 in combined emergency department costs avoided and value of life years saved. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Medicine sugges ...
New national study finds increase in P.E. class-related injuries
Aug 03, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
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Physical education (PE) in schools is one of the main tools used to increase physical activity and to prevent childhood obesity, and PE-related injuries are on the rise. Although increasing physical activity may reduce obesity, ...
Firms, researchers aim to keep seniors steadier on their feet
Sep 08, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
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Rocky Miller has just made a career change that's likely to turn a few heads. After years of selling motorcycles, the 60-year-old Plano, Texas, resident has launched a business, Slip Doctors, that will treat floors with a ...
Promising results for rapid viral diagnosis tests in emergency rooms
Oct 07, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
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Rapid viral diagnosis tests for respiratory diseases in children who arrive in emergency departments have the potential to reduce pressures on health systems by enabling doctors to reach a quicker diagnosis, according to ...
Study investigates ethnic disparities in treatment of trauma patients
Nov 17, 2008 |
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The initial evaluation and management of injured patients from minority ethnic groups nationwide appears to be similar to that of non-Hispanic white patients, according to a report in the November issue of Archives of Surgery, ...
Racial disparities in emergency department length of stay point to added risks for minority patients
Mar 05, 2009 |
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Sick or injured African-American patients wait about an hour longer than patients of other races before being transferred to an inpatient hospital bed following emergency room visits, according to a new national study published ...
Education may improve hospital prescription rate of emergency contraception to teens
Mar 05, 2009 |
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Many doctors don't offer emergency contraception pills to adolescents who may benefit from them during emergency department visits because of misinformation about how the medicine works, according to a study by The Children's ...
