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Emergency Medicine & First Aid vocabulary · The Emergency Department

Emergency department

Meaning in emergency medicine & first aid, with examples

/ɪˈmɜːrdʒənsi dɪˈpɑːrtmənt/nounCore term

In emergency medicine & first aid, emergency department means: The hospital department that treats people who arrive with a sudden illness or injury, without an appointment, 24 hours a day.

In Turkish: acil servis, acil

How it is used

The official term, shortened to ED. Americans also say ER (emergency room) and the British say A&E. Staff talk about ED attendances and waiting times. Patients are 'seen in ED', then admitted, discharged or referred to another service.

Example sentences

  1. She was brought to the emergency department after a car crash.

  2. The emergency department is full, so ambulances are queuing outside.

Common collocations

  • emergency department staff
  • attend the emergency department
  • emergency department doctor
  • busy emergency department
  • A&EShort for accident and emergency: the usual British name for a hospital's emergency department.
  • 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.
  • admitTo accept a patient into the hospital as an inpatient, so that they stay for further treatment instead of going home.
  • dischargeTo allow a patient to leave the hospital or emergency department after assessment or treatment, usually with advice and follow-up arranged.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: The Emergency Department

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