Emergency Medicine
Emergency Medicine is a medical specialty that focuses on the immediate decision making and action necessary to prevent death or any further disability both in the pre-hospital setting by directing emergency medical technicians and in the emergency department. The emergency physician provides immediate recognition, evaluation, care, stabilization and disposition of a generally diversified population of adult and pediatric patients in response to acute illness and injury.
History[edit | edit source]
Emergency Medicine as an independent medical specialty is relatively young. Prior to the 1960s and 1970s, the medical treatment of acute illnesses and injuries was mainly accomplished by the specialists of each condition. In many smaller emergency departments, nurses would triage patients and physicians would be called in from home to deal with particularly serious situations.
Scope[edit | edit source]
Emergency Medicine encompasses a large amount of general medicine but involves the technical and cognitive aspects of virtually all fields of medicine and surgery. Emergency physicians are expected to have the skills of many specialists – the ability to resuscitate a patient (intensivist), manage a difficult airway (anesthesiologist), suture a complex laceration (plastic surgeon), set a fractured bone or dislocated joint (orthopedic surgeon), work-up a pregnant patient with vaginal bleeding (obstetrician/gynecologist), and to conduct and interpret x-rays and ultrasounds (radiologist).
Training[edit | edit source]
In the United States, Emergency Medicine residency training programs are three or four years in length and can lead to board certification in Emergency Medicine. The training includes a broad mix of experiences including pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, trauma, intensive care and a variety of other subspecialties.
See Also[edit | edit source]
- Intensive Care Medicine
- Anesthesiology
- Plastic Surgery
- Orthopedic Surgery
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Radiology
References[edit | edit source]
| Emergency Medicine Resources | |
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Contributors: Prab R. Tumpati, MD
