Noun

Singular emergency room

Plural emergency rooms

emergency room (plural emergency rooms)

1. A department of a hospital primarily used for the treatment of the most serious, often life-threatening conditions.

Synonyms

• accident & emergency (A&E)
• casualty (UK)
• emergency ward (EW)
• ER (abbreviation)

The 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 require 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 has generally been used throughout the United States, while A&E is used in many Commonwealth nations. ED is most commonly used in Canada and Australia, and casualty is more common in Scotland.

Upon arrival to the ED, an individual typically undergoes a brief triage (sorting) interview to help determine the nature and severity of their illness or injury. Individuals with serious illnesses or injuries 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, or discharged. Emergency department staff often includes - in addition to physicians - nurses, physician assistants (PAs), nurse practitioners, and in-house paramedics and/or emergency medical technicians, respiratory therapists, radiologic technologists, healthcare assistants (HCAs), ER scribes, volunteers, and other support staff who work as a team to treat emergency patients and provide support to family members. The emergency departments of most hospitals operate around the clock, although staffing levels attempt to mirror patient volume, which in most ED's finds its nadir between 2:00 am and 6:00 am. Most patients seek the Emergency Department in the afternoon and evening hours, and staffing mirrors this phenomenon. 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 makes a diagnosis.