All terms
Accident & Emergency (A&E)
Also known as: A&E, Emergency Department, ED
The hospital department for emergency and serious urgent care. Advising attendance is appropriate for red-flag or acutely unwell presentations.
Part of safe management is knowing when to direct a patient to A&E or call 999 rather than arranging routine follow-up.
More glossary terms
- ABCDE approachA systematic method for assessing and treating an acutely unwell patient — Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, Exposure — dealing with each before moving on.
- AMPLE historyA focused emergency history — Allergies, Medications, Past history, Last meal, Events — taken quickly in acute situations.
- ARCPThe annual assessment that decides whether a doctor in training has met the competencies to progress to the next stage.
- AVPU scaleA rapid way to grade consciousness — Alert, responds to Voice, responds to Pain, Unresponsive — used in initial assessment.
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