The Emergency Care Centre (ECC) is the place at North Shore Hospital where people with acute and emergency health problems are assessed and treated. People presenting to the ECC are seen initially by the triage nurse. There are many different groups of doctors from different services assessing patients in the ECC, but the ECC nurses care for all patients in the ECC.
Most people presenting to the ECC are self-referrals so have not seen their family doctor or GP before coming to hospital. These patients are assessed and treated by the Emergency Medicine doctors, and are either discharged home or referred to other services for admission or further investigation.
Some people seen by their family doctors are referred to hospital to see doctors from the inpatient specialty services.
Emergency Medicine specialises in the diagnosis, management and treatment of acute and urgent illnesses and injuries that may be life-threatening and require immediate attention.
Other specialty services with doctors working in the ECC include General Medicine, General Surgery, Orthopaedics, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, and Mental Health.
What is Triage?
All patients presenting to the ECC are triaged by a senior nurse according to the Australasian Triage Scale (ATS) to determine the nature and severity of the illness or injury. On the basis of this assessment, those with more severe symptoms or injuries are treated before those with less serious conditions.
How Many Patients Are Seen at North Shore ECC Each Year?
In 2009 approximately 51,000 patients presented to the ECC. Of these, 68% were seen by Emergency Medicine doctors. The other patients were referred in by GPs to be assessed by doctors from other specialties, for example, General Medicine 17% of patients, General Surgery 7% and Orthopaedics 5%.