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Emergency Medicine

Memorial Hospital and Manor's Emergency Department provides Level II emergency services 24-hours a day, seven days a week. The Emergency Department (ED) meets the standards of the Joint Commission Accreditation Manual for hospitals in providing adequate medical and nursing staffing, availability of medical specialty consultation, and availability and range of laboratory, radiology, surgical support, and ancillary services that are required for a Level II Emergency Department. The Emergency Department is the central hospital resource and medical control facility for the Decatur County EMS that operates with basic EMT's and Paramedics.

The Emergency Department is responsible for the immediate recognition, evaluation, treatment/stabilization, and disposition of patients in response to any medical or surgical emergency. The level of care available ranges from the continuation or initiation of advanced life support measures to the assessment and treatment of minor illnesses and injuries to acute exacerbations of chronic medical conditions.

The ED medical staff consists of several full-time and part-time physicians who are independent contractors and fully credentialed members of the Memorial Hospital and Manor Medical Staff with delineated privileges in emergency medicine. A full-time ED physician serves as the Emergency Department Medical Director. An ED Nurse Manager who is a Master's prepared Registered Nurse supervises the ED nursing staff which consists of registered nurses that provide coverage through 12-hour shift rotations. Staffing is such that there are at least two to three RN's on duty at all times.

On occasion, patients are transferred to other health care facilities in accordance with the hospital transfer policy along with state and federal regulations if they require services beyond the capabilities of Memorial Hospital, or if they request such transfer.

Types of Procedures and Services Provided:

• Treatment of life-threatening illnesses and injuries

• Cardiac monitoring and stabilization

• Defibrillation and/or pacing on cardiac/respiratory arrest

• All patients are triaged by an ED nurse and evaluated by the ED physician (or the patient's private physician privileged by Memorial Hospital and Manor) to determine the type and extent of care to be provided to the patient. In the event the patient requires care the ED is unable to provide, the patient shall be transferred to a facility able to provide the required care. The physician shall make the necessary arrangements for transfer.

• The Emergency Department does not provide for psychiatric care. Those patients admitted to the ED with a medical emergency or illness related to an underlying psychiatric diagnosis shall be treated in the ED until they are medically stable, at which time they may be transferred to a psychiatric facility.

• Minor illnesses and injuries are treated in an emergency.

Common Emergencies

An emergency is a medical problem that could cause death or permanent injury if not treated right away. Emergencies often include the following:

• Severe bleeding that does not stop after 15 minutes of direct pressure.
• Sudden severe pain and swelling in a joint.
• Blacking out (fainting)
• Swallowing poison
• Choking
• Suddenly not being able to move or speak
• A broken bone
• A human bite
• A gaping wound
• Severe chest pain along with sweating, shortness of breath, spreading pain, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, or a fast or irregular heartbeat.

Common Non-Emergencies

If your problem is not an emergency, you do not need emergency care. Problems that are usually not emergencies include the following:

• An earache
• Cold and flu symptoms
• A sunburn or minor burn
• An insect sting that does not cause breathing trouble
• A minor cut where bleeding is under control (but call your doctor to make sure your tetanus is up to date)
• A muscle sprain

When to Call an Ambulance (911)

• Need emergency care right away and you are alone
• Have severe bleeding or blood loss
• Are having a lot of trouble breathing
• May have injured your neck or spinal cord
• Have severe chest pain along with sweating, shortness of breath, spreading pain, nausea, vomiting, dizziness or a fast or irregular heartbeat

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