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Emergency Services
Because accidents, illness and injury are unpredictable, it's nice to know that quality emergency medical services are available any time of the day or night.
The Emergency Department at Adena Regional Medical Center specializes in providing high quality, technologically advanced medical care for serious and life-threatening emergencies 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Triage: Taking care of the most severely ill, injured first
It is a basic principle of emergency medicine that the most severely injured and acutely ill patients are seen and treated first, regardless of when they arrive in the department. The idea is to save lives; those whose lives are in immediate danger will always be seen first. The process of deciding who is seen first is called "triage." The principle of triage is true whether you arrive at the Emergency Department by ambulance or come by private vehicle.
All patients arriving at the Emergency Department are seen by a Triage Nurse, who takes a brief history and determines the severity of the illness or injury. It is important that you provide the needed information to his nurse so that a complete understanding of the problem can be obtained.
Once the Triage Nurse has made an assessment, the most critically ill or injured patients are taken to the treatment area. Patients with less severe illnesses or injuries are asked to register. Once you have registered, you may be asked to have a seat in the waiting area until a treatment room becomes available.
You will be taken to the treatment area as soon as possible. If your condition changes while you are waiting, please be sure to let the Triage Nurse know. Waiting patients should not consume food or beverages unless they have checked with the nurse.
Adena Regional Medical Center’s Emergency Department consists of a 12-bed Emergency Care area plus a 7-bed urgent care area. Our specially trained Emergency Physicians and primary care nursing staff offer the highest quality diagnosis and medical treatment.
All patients arriving at the Emergency Department are seen by a Triage nurse who takes a brief history and determines the severity of the illness or injury.
Why we sometimes have to wait
No likes to wait, especially when they are sick. Please be assured that the physicians, nurses and health professionals who are providing care are working as quickly and as efficiently as possible while providing the most complete diagnosis and treatment.
Sometimes, this takes time. As a society, we have come to expect instant answers. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to get an answer immediately. Patients requiring X-rays, laboratory work , or other procedures will be in the department longer than others. Proper diagnosis and treatment can involve many types of tests and, in some cases, may involve more than one physician. It is not uncommon for diagnosis and treatment to take several hours.
Because Emergency Department visits are unscheduled, it is very difficult to predict how long you might have to wait. We track the number of patients who utilize our service, when, what kinds of problems they usually have, and how long treatment usually takes. We design our staffing plans accordingly. Because we do pay attention to all of this information, and we talk with other facilities, we can tell you that your wait in Adena Regional Medical Center's Emergency Department, on average, will be less than the wait you would experience in nearly any major city.
We do our best ...
We want to make your visit to the Emergency Department of Adena Regional Medical Center as pleasant as possible. Our goal is to diagnose and treat patients in a atmosphere of compassion, respect and concern. Your satisfaction with our service is very important to us. However, situations sometimes arise that need additional attention. If you have any problems, questions or concerns while you are here, please let us know so that we may correct the problem immediately. It has been our experience that talking can resolve the majority of misunderstandings.
If you have questions or comments regarding your care or the care of a loved one, please contact our Patient Advocate at (740) 779-7364, or, while you are here, your nurse, the clinical manager, or administrative director.
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