Institute:Office of National Coordinator (ONC) Workforce Training Curriculum
Component:Introduction to Health Care and Public Health in the U.S.
Unit:Delivering Health Care - Part 1
Lecture:Structure and Function of Health Care Facilities and Hospital Units
Slide content:Hospital Setup: ED ED is open 24 hours, 7 days a week Treats various types of injuries Ranging from ankle sprain to drug overdose Severity is assessed by a process called triage Patients are treated completely or sent to other departments 14
Slide notes:Practically everyone has heard of the hospital ED, if only because of TV dramas. Open twenty-four hours a day, every day, the ED treats patients with a range of medical problems, whether relatively minor, such as an ankle sprain, or life-threatening, such as a heart attack, a drug overdose, or serious injuries. Physicians and nurses in the ED evaluate patients by a process called triage, whereby the sickest patients are treated first. After patients are treated, they may be able to go home right away. Those with more serious conditions are transferred to other areas of the hospital, possibly the ICU or CCU, for further care. 14