Emergency Care

Hillcrest Emergency Department (ED) cares for thousands of patients each year. From major trauma to minor lacerations and bumps and bruises, it is important that when patients arrive in our emergency departments they receive care that is fast, efficient, and provided in a comfortable and healing environment. Hillcrest offers a fast-track for those patients with relatively minor illnesses or injuries. Critically ill and injured patients are cared for in the Emergency Departments&rsquo trauma rooms.

Registration

Upon entrance into the Emergency Departments, patients are pre-registered. This process involves providing your name, address, telephone number, social security number and reason for visiting the ED to the registrar.

Triage

A triage nurse looks at each patient’s reason for visiting the ED to determine which patient needs immediate attention. The triage nurse obtains information from patients regarding their:

• Allergies
• Daily medications
• Past medical history, and
• Brief description of illness or injury that brought the patient to the ED.

After triage, the nurse will either take you to a room or ask that you sit in the waiting room. If your condition changes while in the ED waiting area, you should let the triage nurse know immediately. The ED team are caring for both patients that walk in and arrive by ambulance. Often patients in the waiting area cannot see or are unaware of the patients brought in directly to the main ED treatment areas.

Treatment

From the waiting area, patients are taken to the main ED treatment area. Once in a treatment room, a nurse will provide a more extensive evaluation. A registration team member will complete the registration process. It is here that you will be interviewed and examined by an Emergency Physician or a Physician’s Assistant.

Visitors

We know the value of having family members present; however, we ask that only two visitors be back with the patient in the ED treatment area. Visitors are encouraged to remain in the patient’s room so doorways and hallways are kept free of traffic. There are call bells in every room if a visitor or patient has a question. Telephones are located in each room for the convenience of patients and family members to call local family members.

To protect the patient’s privacy and confidentiality, patients should choose a designated family member to call friends or family with any needed information.