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

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

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

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

• Intensive Care Medicine
• Anesthesiology
• Plastic Surgery
• Orthopedic Surgery
• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Radiology

References

Emergency Medicine Resources
Need Help Finding a Doctor? Need help finding a doctor or specialist anywhere in the world? Explore our world directory. WikiMD's DocFinder can assist you in locating millions of physicians.	Medical Knowledge Access the latest research - Most recent articles Ongoing trials.

Translate to: East Asian 中文, 日本, 한국어, South Asian हिन्दी, Urdu, বাংলা, తెలుగు, தமிழ், ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, မြန်မာဘာသာ, European español, Deutsch, français, русский, português do Brasil, Italian, polski