Emergency department/ Accident and emergency and department of emergency medicine is one of the most important departments in a hospital or a healthcare setup that is operated by a dedicated team of doctors, nurses and staff trained in emergency medicine.
What is the need for an emergency department in a hospital ?
It is very essential to have an emergency department in a hospital or a healthcare setup to cater to the patients who are brought to the hospital in acute illness or are accident victims and require urgent care to stabilize.
What patients are brought to emergency department ?
Accident and trauma cases, patients with shortness of breath, chest pain, severe vomiting, severely injured, pregnant woman, acutely ill child, snake bite etc. are few examples of patients who are bought to the emergency department.
Is emergency same as the emergency department ?
No, emergency department is different from the inpatient department of the hospital as it specialises in providing urgent medical care to patients rather than a planned treatment course which is usually followed in an inpatient department.
What all specialties does an emergency department have ?
An emergency department is well equipped with qualified and trained team of doctors and nurses to handle emergency situations. The primary care is provided by the team of the doctors in the emergency department from where the patient can be transferred to the respective department for further treatment.
Does an emergency department have access to investigations if required ?
Yes, the patients who require emergency investigations are sent for radiological and haematological investigations on a priority basis.
Are there separate specialties functional in an emergency department ?
Emergency department of any hospital has a dedicated team of doctors and staff to handle any kind of emergency may it be paediatric, gynaecological, cardiac, neuro etc. In case a specialist opinion is required the consultant speciality is asked for an opinion or assistance.
What are the visiting hours in an emergency department ?
Emergency department is usually restricted from visitors to help the doctors in treating the patient and to maintain sterile environment. The updates about the patient are discussed with the relatives and the family from time to time.
What is triaging ?
Triaging is a technique for handling emergency cases by diving them on the bases of care that they require. Triaging is mostly done in cases of mass trauma or accident cases where color coding is done to treat the patients in order of their injury or to treat the patients who require emergency medical attention first and the others later.
Can minor surgical procedures be performed in an emergency department ?
Yes, minor surgical procedures can be performed in the emergency department.
When is a patient discharged from the emergency department ?
The patient is discharged from the emergency department once his/her condition stabilizes and depending upon the recovery either the patient is transferred to the inpatient department or is discharged from the hospital.
What are the timings of an emergency department ?
The emergency department is functional 24×7 in any hospital.
Disclaimer: The content provided here is meant for general informational purposes only and hence SHOULD NOT be relied upon as a substitute for sound professional medical advice, care or evaluation by a qualified doctor/physician or other relevantly qualified healthcare provider.
