Emergency Room
We’re Ready When You Need Us
The Emergency Room (ER) at Saint Vincent Hospital provides you with access to nationally renowned experts in emergency medicine, toxicology, cardiac problems, trauma, and more when you need them most. At the Saint Vincent Hospital Emergency Room, you’ll find:
- Patient procedures designed to make sure you see a doctor as quickly as possible
- Expert emergency room doctors and highly skilled nurses providing specialized emergency care and triage
- A fully equipped department that treats more than 60,000 patients each year
We work with TEAMHealth, a physician led and physician focused company to provide physician coverage at Saint Vincent. This includes Emergency Medicine, Anesthesia and Hospitalist Medicine. With these experts on hand, Saint Vincent Hospital is proud to be able to offer some of the region’s top emergency care.
The Saint Vincent Hospital Emergency Room is designed for us to provide prompt, personalized care. Our facilities are fully equipped with 38 beds and specialized treatment rooms for resuscitation, eye, ear, nose and throat problems, orthopedic injuries, obstetrical and cardiac emergencies. If you’re in need of further care, Saint Vincent Hospital is able to admit you for treatment or direct you to specialized medicine at the hospital.
Door-to-Doctor Procedures
In order to ensure you see a doctor as soon as possible, our Emergency Room uses a “Door-to-Doctor” procedure for quick, effective treatment for every patient who comes through our doors. When you arrive, you’ll be seen by a triage nurse who will evaluate your condition and place you in a priority queue based on the severity of your symptoms. This order may change as new patients with more severe symptoms arrive at the emergency room. If your condition changes while you wait, please let the nurse know.
Depending on your condition, you may be sent to the emergency room to be seen by a doctor or asked to wait until an exam room is available.
After being seen by an emergency room doctor, you’ll either be sent home with instructions or referred to a consulting doctor or specialist who will decide if you should be admitted to the hospital.
All Emergency Room Services
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Getting Your Meds Right: Medication Reconciliation
As a patient or patient representative, you have many steps you can take to protect yourself if you have a medical emergency and need to have your medications considered into your medical plan. Similarly, responsible hospitals are taking very serious measures to avoid potential medication errors as well.
What Can You Do To Avoid Medication Errors?
Most people believe their medications are archived in their “file.” While your medication information is documented by your doctor’s office, time is of the essence in a medical emergency. Four steps to take:- Keep detailed records of your medications and make sure your spouse or a trusted friend has access. These people should be your emergency contacts.
- Let your emergency contacts know how to reach your physician.
- Provide a written list to the hospital staff, who will put the information in your file in your hospital room. A comprehensive list of medications should include all prescription medications: herbals, vitamins, nutritional supplements, over-the-counter drugs, vaccines, diagnostic and contrast agents, radioactive medications, parenteral nutrition, blood derivatives and intravenous solutions.
- Know that it’s okay to question everything and do your own research. It’s your health!
What Are Hospitals Doing To Avoid Medication Errors?
According to government data, more than 40 percent of medication errors are believed to result from inadequate reconciliation during admission, transfer and discharge of patients. Many of these errors can be averted with medication reconciliation processes. Here’s how it works:For a newly hospitalized patient:
- Obtaining and verifying the patient’s medication history
- Documenting the patient’s medication history
- Writing orders for the hospital medication regimen
- Creating a medication administration record
- Post discharge medication regimen
- Developing discharge instructions for the patient for home medications
- Educating the patient
- Transmitting the medication list to the follow-up physician
- Documenting a complete list of the current medications
- Updating the list whenever medications are added or changed