Updated definition of Emergency Medicine in Europe
The EUSEM Professional Committee has redefined the definition of Emergency Medicine in Europe.
Emergency Medicine is a primary specialty established using the knowledge and skills required for the prevention1 diagnosis and management2 of urgent and emergency aspects of illness and injury, affecting patients of all age groups with a full spectrum of undifferentiated physical and behavioral disorders.
This includes organizing the proper medical response for patients looking for urgent medical care.
Time and timing in this setting may be critical either from a medical or from the patient’s point of view.
The practice of Emergency Medicine3 encompasses the in-hospital as well as out-of-hospital4 triage, resuscitation, initial assessment, telemedicine and the management of undifferentiated urgent and emergency patients until discharge or transfer to the care of another health care professional.
1 Prevention: also includes injury prevention, preparedness for disaster, as well as public health education.
2 Management encompasses the local service organization as well as the development of systems to provide EM care.
3 Primarily hospital-based
4 This applies to out-of-hospital emergency care, disasters and includes other urgent medical care systems outside hospitals.