Welcome
Welcome to the Libguide for Emergency Medicine
Emergency medicine is the medical specialty dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of unforeseen illness or injury. The practice of emergency medicine includes the initial evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, and disposition of any patient requiring expeditious medical, surgical, or psychiatric care. Emergency medicine professionals provide valuable clinical and administrative services to the emergency department and other sectors of the health care delivery system.
American College of Emergency Physicians. Model of the clinical practice of emergency medicine [policy statement]; Approved August 2007.
The Emergency Medicine Division (EMD) deals with many different illnesses and injuries. You should only come here if your problem is urgent and needs urgent treatment. You should ask yourself “could my local doctor deal with this problem?” if the answer is “yes”, then you should see him or her, rather than have a long wait in the EMD.
We do not see everyone according to the time of arrival. Patients with more serious problems must come first, no matter when they arrive. Triage is a term used to describe the process of sorting patients into groups according to the urgency of their complaints. An experienced nurse( The Triage Nurse) will assess you soon after arrival. They will do any first aid that you need. Then you will be placed into one of three groups.
1) Patients who need immediate attention with extremely serious injuries or illnesses who might die if not treated immediately. For example cardiac arrest, multiple injuries, heart attacks, severe bleeding or fractures, or severe asthmatic attacks. These patients are triaged under immediate status.
2) Patients who need urgent but not emergent treatment. These are patients who have severe but not immediate life-threatening injuries or illnesses and who need to be treated fairly urgent for example moderately dehydrated patients ---) these patients are triaged under intermediate status.
3) Patients who need the skills of our staff but do not need urgent treatment. These are patients who will not deteriorate if they have to wait for treatment. For example sprains and strains, simple cuts and
most ankle and arm fractures, cough, colds, and second opinions. Long-term problems should be seen by your local doctor unless he or she has referred you to the Emergency Medicine Division.
Taken from
https://www.mona.uwi.edu/emergencymedicine/index
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