Welcome
Triage
When will I be seen?
What will happen in the ED?
Discharge
Who will treat me?

University of Washington Medical Center

Welcome

Welcome to the Emergency Department of the University of Washington Medical Center. The Emergency Department is designed to care for patients with acute medical problems who cannot wait to be seen by appointment. The mission of the ED is to provide a medical evaluation and, when appropriate, medical treatment for all patients on a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week basis. To accomplish this, trained emergency physicians and nurses are available at all times.

Triage

When you arrive in the ED, you will be evaluated by the triage nurse, who will ask you the reason for your visit, your current medications, and allergies. She will then measure your vital signs (blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and temperature). If your condition allows, you will go to the registration desk so we can obtain the information necessary to begin an ED record, including consent for treatment. You will be asked to wait in the waiting room, and when a room is available, a nurse will take you into the ED to perform an initial assessment. If your condition should change while waiting in the waiting room, please notify the triage nurse. Patients brought in by ambulance do not stop at the triage nurse or registration; they are taken directly into the ED.

When will I be seen?

Patients are seen according to the seriousness of their medical problem. Critically ill trauma patients and patients requiring intensive care are always seen before patients with less acute problems. Generally, all other patients are seen in the order in which they present, although patients whose condition requires the use of a special room (such as the eye room) may be seen out of order. Our goal is to bring every patient into the department from the waiting room within one hour and promptly be seen by a physician. However, when the ED is busy, there may be delays of two or three hours before a patient who has a problem that is not life- or limb-threatening is seen.

What will happen in the ED?

Medical evaluation by the emergency physician will be directed to your primary problem. If the problem can be diagnosed and treated in the ED, the physician will do so. Because the emergency physician is not familiar with your health history, he or she may take time to obtain and review your medical record or contact and speak with your regular physician. It may be necessary to order blood tests, x-rays, or other types of tests. If more extensive diagnostic testing or treatment is required than can be provided in the ED, you will either be admitted to the hospital, or referred to your physician or a clinic for more extensive outpatient evaluation and treatment. Medical evaluation in the ED usually takes one to two hours but may take longer when complicated diagnostic tests or consultations with other specialists are necessary.

Discharge

When you are discharged, you will be given “Discharge Instructions,” which will include the emergency physician’s name, the name of the physician or clinic to which you are referred for follow-up care, your diagnosis, and the specific instructions you are asked to follow.

If the emergency physician or your physician decides to admit you to the hospital, it will be necessary to arrange for a bed in the hospital. Because these are unscheduled admissions, it may take time to make space available or to arrange for the necessary staff. When admission to an intensive care unit is required, this may take several hours, during which you will be cared for in the ED.

Who will treat me?

The Medical Center is a teaching hospital affiliated with the School of Medicine. Patients may be seen initially by a senior medical student or a physician who is a resident in internal medicine or another medical specialty and is pursuing additional medical training. There is an attending physician in the ED at all times who will also see you. In addition, we have highly skilled Registered Nurses involved in your care, and Social Work staff to help in special situations.

We know that no one wants to be a patient in the ED and patients and their families may be upset and frightened by their illness or injury. Our staff is highly trained and motivated to provide the best medical care. We will try to make your stay here as comfortable as possible.