"Emergency medicine is the medical speciality concerned with the care of illnesses or injuries requiring immediate medical attention."
The study of acute medical conditions in emergency situations.
Cardiac Arrest: A condition in which the heart suddenly stops beating and blood circulation ceases. The patient becomes unresponsive and stops breathing.
Respiratory Distress: A condition in which a patient experiences difficulty breathing. This may be caused by a range of underlying conditions such as asthma, pneumonia, or pulmonary embolism.
Trauma: A broad category of medical emergencies that result from physical injury. This can include injuries from car accidents, falls, gunshot wounds, and more.
Stroke: A medical emergency in which there is a sudden interruption of blood supply to the brain. This can result in a range of symptoms such as paralysis, difficulty speaking, and loss of vision.
Seizures: A sudden surge of electrical activity in the brain that can cause a range of symptoms such as convulsions, loss of consciousness, and muscle spasms.
Overdose: A medical emergency that occurs when a patient ingests too much of a substance or combination of substances. This can result in a range of symptoms such as altered mental status, respiratory depression, and cardiac arrest.
Intubation: A procedure in which a flexible tube is inserted into a patient's airway to assist with breathing. This is often performed in emergency situations when a patient is unable to breathe on their own.
Emergency Medical Services: The network of medical professionals and resources that are dedicated to providing emergency care to patients. This may include ambulance services, hospitals, and first responders.
Triage: The process of prioritizing patients based on the severity of their condition. This is often done in emergency situations to ensure that patients with the most urgent needs are treated first.
CPR: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is a life-saving technique used to restore cardiac and respiratory functions in patients who have experienced cardiac arrest or respiratory distress.
"Emergency physicians (often called 'ER doctors' in the United States) specialise in providing care for unscheduled and undifferentiated patients of all ages."
"As first-line providers, in coordination with emergency medical services, they are primarily responsible for initiating resuscitation and stabilization and performing the initial investigations and interventions necessary to diagnose and treat illnesses or injuries in the acute phase."
"Emergency physicians generally practise in hospital emergency departments, pre-hospital settings via emergency medical services, and intensive care units."
"Yes, sub-specializations of emergency medicine include disaster medicine, medical toxicology, point-of-care ultrasonography, critical care medicine, emergency medical services, hyperbaric medicine, sports medicine, palliative care, or aerospace medicine."
"Yes, they may also work in primary care settings such as urgent care clinics."
"Various models for emergency medicine exist internationally."
"In countries following the Anglo-American model, emergency medicine initially consisted of surgeons, general practitioners, and other generalist physicians."
"However, in recent decades it has become recognised as a speciality in its own right with its training programmes and academic posts."
"Yes, the speciality is now a popular choice among medical students and newly qualified medical practitioners."
"In countries following the Franco-German model, the speciality does not exist."
"Emergency medical care is instead provided directly by anesthesiologists (for critical resuscitation), surgeons, specialists in internal medicine, paediatricians, cardiologists, or neurologists as appropriate."
"Yes, emergency medicine is still evolving in developing countries."
"International emergency medicine programs offer hope of improving primary emergency care where resources are limited."
"Emergency physicians...specialize in providing care for unscheduled and undifferentiated patients of all ages."
"...initiating resuscitation and stabilization and performing the initial investigations and interventions necessary to diagnose and treat illnesses or injuries in the acute phase."
"Emergency physicians generally practise in hospital emergency departments, pre-hospital settings via emergency medical services, and intensive care units."
"Sub-specializations of emergency medicine include disaster medicine, medical toxicology, point-of-care ultrasonography, critical care medicine, emergency medical services, hyperbaric medicine, sports medicine, palliative care, or aerospace medicine."
"...it has become recognised as a speciality in its own right with its training programmes and academic posts."
"International emergency medicine programs offer hope of improving primary emergency care where resources are limited."