Emergency medicine

Emergency medicine is the medical specialty involving care for undifferentiated and unscheduled patients with illnesses or injuries requiring immediate medical attention. In their role as first-line providers, emergency physicians are responsible for initiating investigations and interventions to diagnose and/or treat patients in the acute phase (including initial resuscitation and stabilization), coordinating care with physicians from other specialities, and making decisions regarding a patient's need for hospital admission, observation, or discharge. Emergency physicians generally practice in hospital emergency departments, pre-hospital settings via emergency medical services, and intensive care units, but may also work in primary care settings such as urgent care clinics.

Originally the domain of surgeons, general practitioners and other generalist physicians, it is only in recent decades that emergency medicine has become recognised as a speciality in its own right. In many developed countries, emergency medicine is now recognized as an essential public service and has achieved recognition for its contributions to public health and academic medicine. Most academic medical centers have independent departments of emergency medicine, and the specialty is now a popular choice among medical students and residents. In developing countries, emergency medicine is still evolving and international emergency medicine programs offer hope of improving basic emergency care where resources are limited.