Emergency medicine is a branch of medicine that is practiced in a hospital emergency department, in the field (in a modified form; see EMS), and other locations where initial medical treatment of illness takes place.
Emergency medicine focuses on diagnosis and treatment of acute illnesses and injuries that require immediate care. While not usually providing long-term care, EM physicians and pre-hospital personnel still provide care with the aim of improving long-term patient outcome. In the United States, some people use the emergency department for outpatient care that could be provided at a doctor's office. As a result, much of emergency room care is plain old good general practice (coughs, colds, aches, pains). These non-emergency conditions are better treated in an urgent care center, which treats patients who desire immediate care, but do not reach the acuity that requires care in an emergency department.
Definition
"Emergency medicine is a field of practice based on the knowledge and skills required for the prevention, diagnosis and management of acute and urgent aspects of illness and injury affecting patients of all age groups with a full spectrum of undifferentiated physical and behavioural disorders. It further encompasses an understanding of the development of pre-hospital and in-hospital emergency medical systems and the skills necessary for this development."
International Federation for Emergency Medicine 1991
History
Emergency medicine as a standalone medical specialty is relatively young. Prior to the 1960's and 70's, hospital emergency rooms were generally staffed by doctors trained in other specialties, such as internal medicine and primary care. However, during this time period, groups of physicians mostly located in the midwestern United States (notably Cincinnati, Ohio, and Denver, Colorado) recognized the need, and the niche, for physicians specifically trained to handle acute medical emergencies. Despite its young age, emergency medicine is now one of the most popular specialties among North American medical school graduates.
Organizations around the world
In the United States, the American College of Emergency Physicians is the primary member organization of emergency physicians. The American Board of Emergency Medicine provides board certification to emergency physicians who have successfully completed a residency in emergency medicine and have received a passing score on the board exam in emergency medicine.
In the United Kingdom, the College of Emergency Medicine sets the examinations that trainees in Emergency Medicine take in order to become consultants (fully-trained emergency physicians). The British Association for Emergency Medicine is the member organization in the UK. In 2005, the two organisations initiated steps to merge into a new single College of Emergency Medicine. The steering group who are overseeing the merger currently expect the new organisation to form on 1st January 2006.
In Australia and New Zealand, advanced training in Emergency Medicine is overseen by the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM).
In Canada, there are two routes to practice emergency medicine. More than two thirds of physicians currently practicing emergency medicine across the nation have no specific emergency medicine residency training. Emergency physicians who tend to work in more community-based settings complete a residency specialising in Family Medicine and then proceed to obtain an additional year of training of special competence on Emergency Medicine from the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CCFP-EM). Physicians practicing in major urban/tertiary care hospitals will often pursue a 5 year specialist residency in Emergency Medicine, certified by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. These members typically spend a great deal of time in academic and leadership roles within emergency medicine, EMS, research, and other avenues. There is no significant difference in remuneration or clinical practice type between physicians certified by either route.
See medical emergency for specific lists of medical emergencies and how best to respond.
See also
External links
The content of this page is retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_medicine under GFDL
