Emergency Department

When you need immediate medical help, the emergency department (ED) will provide the best possible care any time of day or night. ED doctors and nurses can evaluate your condition quickly and have the most advanced tools and medicines to treat you. They will communicate with you and your family throughout this highly stressful time.

If your condition isn’t life-threatening, a triage nurse will check your vital signs (temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, etc.) and ask about your symptoms and the medicines you take. The triage nurse will decide how soon you need treatment and direct you to either an exam room or the waiting area. ED staff members don’t provide care on a first-come, first-served basis—they see patients with the most life-threatening conditions first.

A primary ED nurse and an attending doctor will take over your care in the treatment room. After a complete exam and possible meeting with a specialist, the health care team will decide your next steps, which may include:

• tests
• treatment in the ED
• observation status (you’re not admitted to the hospital, but the doctors and staff can watch you longer to see how you’re doing)
• hospital admission
• discharge with follow-up care plans
  

Make sure you understand all your follow-up or treatment instructions before you leave the hospital.

Follow-Up Care

Make sure you understand follow-up care plans and let your primary care physician know the details of your ED visit. See Checklist for Discharge for more information.