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Sudden illness or injury can occur without warning, and while no one typically plans a trip to the emergency department (ED), everyone should know what to expect after they arrive.
Step 1 – Triage
When you arrive at the ED on your own and not in an ambulance, you will first go through a triage process. A triage nurse will assess the severity of your condition, based on your symptoms, medical history and vital signs, such as body temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. Triage helps ensure that critically ill patients are seen first. That is why a physician may see another patient before you, even though that patient arrived at the ED.
Step 2 – Registration
The registration process is important for two reasons: it lets the ED staff gather information for your patient record and obtain your consent for treatment. Both are necessary for ordering diagnostic tests to enable the physician to determine your best treatment option. Our admitting staff will assist you with the registration process, and will ask for your insurance information. If you are uninsured, we have financial counselors and other resources available to help.
Step 3 – Treatment
Every patient receives treatment from an attending physician or mid-level practitioner. Depending on your condition, a registered nurse may start an intravenous (IV) line. The IV line will allow the nursing staff to quickly administer medications or fluids that may be ordered by a physician. A nurse or technician may also take blood or urine samples, or they may send you for an X-ray or other imaging test before a physician sees you.
NNMC offers advanced technology to help doctors and staff diagnose your condition quicker so you can get the treatment you need as soon as possible. Diagnostic tests may include laboratory tests, X-rays, scans, imaging or other tests that will help your physician decide on the best course of treatment. Physicians may also order blood tests on an urgent basis. Test results help emergency medicine physicians assess your condition. The results could be available within one to two hours, while you are in the ED. However, some test results may require a longer wait. During your treatment, the staff in the ED will help make sure you are comfortable and informed.
Step 4 – Reevaluation
Your condition will be reevaluated after test results come back because the results may give the physician additional insight into the type of treatment you need. How you feel can be just as important as your test results, so be sure to let physicians or nurses know about any pain or discomfort you may feel.The staff may also contact your primary care physician for additional information. If you do not have a primary care physician, we may refer you to an on-call physician. After the reevaluation, the attending physician determines whether you should be admitted to the hospital or treated and sent home.
Step 5 – Discharge
Part of our job is to keep you healthy long after you’ve left the ED. All patients receive written home-care instructions to follow when discharged. The instructions describe how you can safely care for your wound or illness, directions for prescribed medications and recommendations for follow-up medical care. It is important to fully understand all instructions. If you have a question, let us know while you’re here. Be sure to follow up with your primary care physician as well.
Sudden illness or injury can occur without warning, and while no one typically plans a trip to the Emergency Department, everyone should know what to expect after they arrive. The Emergency Department (ED) at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center provides urgent care to patients who have traumatic injury, major illnesses or other issues that require immediate treatment. The staff includes physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals who follow specific procedures so that you can get the care you need as quickly as possible. Following are the five steps to expect when you arrive at the St. Mary's Regional ED.
The Steps of Care
- Triage
- Registration
- Treatment
- Reevalution
- Discharge
Triage is the process of determining the severity of a patient’s condition. Patients with the most severe emergencies receive immediate treatment. That is why some patients may receive medical care before you, even if they arrived at the ED after you. When you arrive at the ED, emergency technicians determine the reason for your visit. A registered nurse will take your medical history and perform a brief examination of your symptoms. The triage registered nurse might assign you a priority level based on your medical history and current condition according to the following scale: Level 1 – Resuscitation (immediate life-saving intervention); Level 2 – Emergency; Level 3 – Urgent; Level 4 – Semi-urgent; Level 5 – Non-urgent. In some cases, an emergency registered nurse may start diagnostic testing to decrease the time spent waiting for medical treatment. Should your symptoms worsen as you wait, notify the emergency technician or triage nurse immediately. Only one person may accompany the patient in the triage area.
Step 2 – Registration
The registration process is important for two reasons: it lets the ED staff gather information for your patient record and we obtain your consent for treatment. Both are necessary to order diagnostic tests to enable the physician determine the best treatment option for you. Patient Access Specialists can conduct bedside registration for patients who have been taken directly to a treatment room.
Step 3 – Treatment
Every patient who comes to the Emergency Department at St. Mary’s Regional receives treatment from an attending physician or mid-level practitioner. Depending on your condition, a registered nurse may start an intravenous (IV) line. The IV line will allow the nursing staff to quickly administer medications or fluids that may be ordered by a physician. A nurse or technician may also take blood or urine samples, or they may send you for an X-ray or other imaging test before a physician sees you. Physicians may also order blood tests on an urgent basis. Test results help emergency medicine physicians assess your condition. The results could be available within one to two hours, while you are in the ED. However, some test results may require a longer wait. During your treatment, the staff in the ED will help make sure you are comfortable and informed. Only two visitors are allowed at one time in the patient room.
Step 4 – Reevaluation
An ED physician or mid-level practitioner will reevaluate your condition after they receive your test results because the results may give them additional insight into the type of treatment you need. You know your body. How you feel can be just as important as your test results, so be sure to let physicians or nurses know about any pain or discomfort you may feel. The staff may also contact your personal physician for additional information. If you do not have a personal physician, we may refer you to an on-call physician. After your reevaluation, the attending physician determines whether you should be admitted to the hospital or treated and sent home.
Step 5 – Discharge
Part of our job is to keep you healthy long after you’ve left the ED. All patients receive written home-care instructions to follow when discharged. The instructions describe how you can safely care for your wound or illness, directions for your prescribed medications and recommendations for follow-up medical care. It is important to fully understand all instructions. If you have a question – let us know while you’re here. Or call 580-249-3001 once you return home. Be sure to follow up with your personal or referred physician as well. One to two weeks after your visit to the Emergency Department at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center, you may receive a phone call asking for your opinions about your stay. Your comments allow us to continually provide outstanding emergency care to all our patients.
If you were discharged from the ED to your home and do not understand the instructions you received for follow-up care, please call us at 580-249-3001 and we will be happy to review the instructions with you.
When a patient first arrives in the emergency room—now typically called the Emergency Department—the first stop is triage. In triage, a nurse typically prioritizes each patient's condition into one of three general categories:
- Immediately life threatening
- Urgent, but not necessarily immediately life threatening
- Less urgent
Categorization is necessary to ensure someone with a life-threatening condition is not left waiting just because he or she arrived a few minutes later than someone with a less severe problem. A triage nurse will record a patient?s vital signs (temperature, pulse, respiratory rate and blood pressure). The nurse also will get a brief history of a patient?s medical complaints, medical history, medications and allergies. She will use this information to determine the patient's appropriate triage category.
After triage, the next stop for a patient will be registration. It is not very exciting and rarely seen on TV. Nonetheless, during registration, patients provide insurance information, Medicare, Medicaid or HMO card. This is a necessary step and helps to develop a medical record so the medical history, lab tests, X-rays, etc., will be located on one chart and can be referenced at any time. The bill, of course, also will be generated from this information.
If a patient's condition is life-threatening or if a patient arrives by ambulance, registration may be completed later at the bedside.
Important: This content reflects information from various individuals and organizations and may offer alternative or opposing points of view. It should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. As always, you should consult with your healthcare provider about your specific health needs.