If you get very sick or badly hurt and need help right away, you should use emergency medical services. These services use specially trained people and specially equipped facilities.
You may need care in the hospital emergency room (ER). Doctors and nurses there treat emergencies, such as heart attacks and injuries. For some emergencies, you need help where you are. Emergency medical technicians, or EMTs, do specific rescue jobs. They answer emergency calls, drive ambulances and give basic medical care. Some EMTs are paramedics - they have training to do medical procedures on site. They usually drive you to the ER for more care.
If you or someone you know needs emergency care, go to your hospital’s emergency room. If you think the problem is life threatening, call 9-1-1.
- Meet the Lifesavers: An Introduction to Emergency Medical Services(American College of Emergency Physicians) - http://www3.acep.org/patients.aspx?id=26020
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When Should I Go to the Emergency Department?(American College of Emergency Physicians) - http://www3.acep.org/patients.aspx?id=26018
Also available in Spanish http://www.acep.org/patients.aspx?id=26236
- What Can You Expect in the Emergency Department?(American College of Emergency Physicians) - http://www3.acep.org/patients.aspx?id=26046
- Cardiac Arrest Survival Rates Vary Widely(09/23/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_69630.html
- Older Patients Less Likely to Be Taken to Trauma Centers(08/18/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_68273.html
- Heart Drug Used in Ambulance Boosts Survival(08/14/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_68174.html
- Death of Psychiatric Patient at New York Hospital Underscores Mental Health Care Crisis(07/03/2008, American Psychiatric Association) - Links to PDF - http://psych.org/MainMenu/Newsroom/NewsReleases/2008NewsReleases/_prnyhosp.aspx
- More News on Emergency Medical Services http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alphanews_e.html#emergencymedicalservices
- Emergency Medical Services Frequently Asked Questions(Rural Assistance Center) - http://www.raconline.org/info_guides/ems/emsfaq.php
- Links in the Chain of Survival(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3012016
- Emergency Department Waiting Times(American College of Emergency Physicians) - http://www.acep.org/patients.aspx?id=25908
- Family Member Presence in the Emergency Department(American College of Emergency Physicians) - http://www.acep.org/patients.aspx?id=25904
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Keep Important Health Information at Hand(American College of Emergency Physicians) - http://www3.acep.org/practres.aspx?id=26068
Also available in Spanish http://www.acep.org/patients.aspx?id=26246
- Uninsured: Access to Medical Care(American College of Emergency Physicians) - http://www3.acep.org/patients.aspx?id=25932
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Recognizing Medical Emergencies
(Healthy Roads Media) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.healthyroadsmedia.org/english/Files/flv/engmedem.htm
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What to Expect in the Emergency Room(Healthy Roads Media) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.healthyroadsmedia.org/english/Files/flv/enger.htm
- Costs of Emergency Care(American College of Emergency Physicians) - http://www3.acep.org/patients.aspx?id=25902
- Emergency Care -- Know What Your Health Plan Covers(American College of Emergency Physicians) - http://www3.acep.org/patients.aspx?id=26092
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Emergency Medical Services
(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Emergency+Medical+Services%22
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Just tell us how long we'll wait, ED patients urge... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18754107&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Chest pain units. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18725003&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Thompson J, Petrie DA, Ackroyd-Stolarz S, Bardua DJ Out-of-hospital continuous... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18722248&tool=MedlinePlus
- Emergency Medical Services -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=emergency+medical+services[majr]+NOT+(disaster+planning[mh]+OR+terrorism[mh])+AND+humans[mh]+AND+english[la]+AND+(review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+systematic[sb])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- American College of Emergency Physicians - http://www.acep.org/
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American Red Cross - http://www.redcross.org/
Also available in Spanish http://www.cruzrojaamericana.org/
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Medicare Coverage of Ambulance Services(Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) - Links to PDF - http://www.medicare.gov/Publications/Pubs/pdf/11021.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://www.medicare.gov/publications/pubs/pdf/11021_s.pdf
- CDC Releases Latest Data on Emergency Department Visits(National Center for Health Statistics) - http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/04facts/emergencydept.htm
- FASTATS: Emergency Department Visits(National Center for Health Statistics) - http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/ervisits.htm
- Emergency Care of Children(American College of Emergency Physicians) - http://www.acep.org/patients.aspx?id=26130
- Emergency Information Form for Children with Special Health Care Needs(American College of Emergency Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics) - Links to PDF - http://www.acep.org/patients.aspx?id=26276
- Getting Help: Know the Numbers(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/firstaid_safe/emergencies/help.html
- How to Use 911(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/kid/watch/er/911.html
- Teaching Your Child How to Use 911(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/firstaid_safe/emergencies/911.html
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What Happens in the Emergency Room?(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/kid/feel_better/places/er.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/kid/en_espanol/preguntas/er_esp.html
- What Is a Pediatric/Neonatal Critical Care Transport Team?(American Academy of Pediatrics) - Links to PDF - http://www.aap.org/sections/pem/PediatricTransportTeam_final.pdf
- What You Need to Know in an Emergency(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/firstaid_safe/home/healthin.html
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When It's Just You in an Emergency(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/kid/watch/er/emergency.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/kid/en_espanol/seguridad/emergency_esp.html
- Dealing with an Emergency(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/teen/safety/safebasics/911.html
- Aging Parents: 10 Things to Know for an Emergency(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/senior-health/HA00029/METHOD=print
- First Aid - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/firstaid.html
- Health System - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/healthsystem.html
Emergency Medical Services - Multiple Languages - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/emergencymedicalservices.html