Emergency and Trauma Centre

For Patients

Being a patient in an Emergency Department can be a very daunting experience. You are usually not feeling the best, the environment is noisy and busy, there are long periods of waiting around, and it can be very boring.

Upon your arrival in the Emergency Department, a nurse will greet you at the main desk. This nurse who greets you is the 'Triage Nurse'. The role of this nurse is to assess your medical condition and determine the urgency of a doctor's assessment and any necessary treatment.

You will be allocated a Triage Category and then asked to wait to see a doctor. You will be provided with a printed explanation. There is a waiting room in front of the Reception Desk.

It is important to note that you must not eat or drink anything from the time you arrive in the Emergency Department until you are otherwise advised by your doctor or nurse.

At the Reception Desk are clerks who must register you on the hospital's computer system. The details collected are used to identify you and only you.

You will be asked for your Medicare card number and whether you have any Private Health Insurance. Having these details will be helpful to the clerical staff.

Overseas patients may have to pay for medical care provided. Payment will be requested at the end of your stay. The Emergency & Trauma Centre has electronic payment facilities. Australia's Medicare has reciprocal medical care agreements with Finland, Ireland, Italy, Malta, The Netherlands, New Zealand & the United Kingdom.

After you have been seen by the Triage Nurse you will have to wait to be seen by a doctor. You may be asked to take a seat in the waiting room or you may be placed on a trolley and taken into one of the clinical areas.

Patients who are on trolleys or arrive by ambulance are NOT necessarily seen first. Whilst in the waiting room, please direct all concerns to the Triage Nurse. If you have been taken through to one of the clinical areas, please direct all concerns to the nurse that has been allocated to care for you.

When you have been allocated a cubicle, a nurse will be the first to see you. This nurse will care for you during your stay in the Emergency Department. It is generally necessary for you to get changed into a patient gown to assist in any examination.

Your clothes will be placed in a bag under your trolley and any valuables may be locked-away for safe-keeping. Staff are very sensitive about modesty and will respect this at all times. If you have any concerns then please discuss these with your nurse.

The nurse will take routine observations (pulse & blood pressure). If needed, the nurse will also perform appropriate investigations (blood samples; ECG) and some can organise X-rays before you are seen by the doctor. This will make it easier for the doctor to make the correct decisions and causes less inconvenience to you.

Visitors are restricted in the Emergency & Trauma Centre. Your visitors will be asked to wait in the waiting area until nursing and medical staff have completed providing care and assessment.

As soon as practicable, a doctor will assess you. You will be asked many questions including those that the nurse has already asked. It is important to tell the doctor:

• the reason for coming to the hospital
• current medical problems
• past medical problems and operations
• current medications (a complete list is essential)
• any allergies to medications

You have to be honest to any questions asked as the information you give will assist the doctor to make the correct assessment and institute the correct management. If you have any questions then please ask the doctor or nurse caring for you.

Our aim is to keep you informed of your medical condition and on-going management. Remember that any information you give to any staff is held in strict confidence and will not be passed on to any non-medical person. The nursing and medical staff respect patient confidentiality and the hospital is committed to this country's privacy laws.

Once the doctor has taken your history, you may require some investigations to be performed. If you are unsure why an investigation is being performed then please ask the doctor or nurse caring for you. Investigations may include:

Some investigations may take some time to be performed as there are usually many patients requiring them. Once the results of the investigations are available, the doctor attending you will inform you of the result and explain your on-going management plan. If you have any questions then please ask the doctor or nurse caring for you.

Once the doctor has made the correct diagnosis of your presenting medical problem, a management plan will be implemented. The doctor and nurse will discuss this plan with you. It is in your best interests that you understand:

• the diagnosis of your presenting problem
• the result of any investigations
• the benefits and risks of any management including medications and operations.

Under the circumstances, it is sometimes difficult to fully comprehend what is happening and you may not remember what you have been told. If so, please ask the nurse or doctor as they want you to feel at ease about your medical condition.

Should you require admission the staff will discuss this with you. Being a public hospital, your care as an inpatient is fully covered by Medicare. Overseas visitors may be required to pay for admission unless there is a reciprocal health care policy.

The Alfred is part of the Alfred Network (includes Sandringham Hospital & Caulfield Hospital). The doctor caring for you will decide which of these 3 hospitals would be best suited to your condition and will organise your transfer if necessary. If you are transferred to another hospital, an ambulance will be provided at the hospital's expense.

If you have private health insurance, you may wish to be treated in a private hospital. Please discuss this option with the treating nurse or doctor but remember that sometimes you medical condition will require the expertise of The Alfred.

You also need to be aware of the expense that you will incur in being treated in the private hospital. Please consult your private health fund. If you elect to be transferred to a private hospital, an ambulance will be provided at the hospital's expense.

Due to the high demand for inpatient beds at The Alfred, there may be a wait in the Emergency & Trauma Centre until a suitable bed becomes available. Every effort will be made to place you in a quiet area to assist your recovery.