In the
emergency department, the most seriously ill or injured patients are treated first. This is known as "triage." The word comes from the French word meaning "to sort".
The triage nurse will:
- Check vital signs, including temperature, heart rate, blood pressure and breathing
- Ask why you're there
- Ask the name of your regular doctor
- Unless you need immediate treatment, the triage nurse will direct you to an admitting/registration area, where you'll be asked for your name, age, address, as well as information about your health insurance coverage.
- If your condition is not life-threatening, you may be asked to sit in a waiting room. If your condition worsens while in the waiting room, tell the triage nurse.
Usually, visits to the emergency department take longer than appointments at a
doctor's office. Since ED visits are unscheduled, many people
can arrive at once. You may also have to wait for results of
X-rays, blood work, or other tests.
Back to Emergency
This
page was last updated on 8/8/07
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