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Emergency Medicine & First Aid vocabulary · The Emergency Department

A&E

Meaning in emergency medicine & first aid, with examples

/ˌeɪ ən ˈiː/abbreviationCore term

In emergency medicine & first aid, A&E means: Short for accident and emergency: the usual British name for a hospital's emergency department.

In Turkish: acil servis, acil

How it is used

Said 'A and E'. Used by the public, the media and staff in the UK and some other countries, although official documents increasingly say 'emergency department'. People go to A&E, end up in A&E or wait for hours in A&E. Americans say ER.

Example sentences

  1. I spent five hours in A&E with my son's broken arm.

  2. A&E is under huge pressure this winter.

Common collocations

  • go to A&E
  • A&E department
  • A&E waiting times
  • A&E nurse
  • emergency departmentThe hospital department that treats people who arrive with a sudden illness or injury, without an appointment, 24 hours a day.
  • triageThe process of quickly sorting patients by how urgently they need treatment, so that the sickest are seen first rather than in order of arrival.
  • resusAn informal short form of resuscitation, used especially for the resuscitation room of an emergency department, where the sickest patients are treated.
  • dischargeTo allow a patient to leave the hospital or emergency department after assessment or treatment, usually with advice and follow-up arranged.

More terms: The Emergency Department

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.