Emergency Medicine

  • George J. Annas
Chapter

Abstract

Emergency medicine, usually centered in a hospital emergency department, presents both health care professionals and patients with unique problems. In a typical physician-patient interaction, the patient voluntarily enters the relationship, the physician gets to know the patient and has an opportunity to discuss treatment options in detail with time for reflection. In an emergency department, the patient is brought in by ambulance, the police, or others, does not choose the physician, and there is rarely opportunity for detailed discussion of treatment options. The pain or fear that drives people to seek medical advice is often more extreme in the emergency setting. In some cases, the situation may be even worse: The patient may be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or be suffering a severe psychotic episode and actually be hostile to the nurses and physicians who are trying to help.

Keywords

Emergency Room Supra Note Emergency Service Emergency Care Emergency Condition 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Notes

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Copyright information

© George J. Annas and the American Civil Liberties Union 1992

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  • George J. Annas

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