Triage

Please understand that the Emergency Department does not operate on a "first come, first served" basis. When patients arrive in the Emergency Department, they are assessed by the triage nurse. It is the triage nurse’s responsibility to identify those conditions requiring immediate attention and then prioritize a patient’s care based on his or her condition. At times, therefore, other patients may be seen first.

Certain medical conditions require immediate attention or specialized equipment which is available in selected rooms in the Emergency Department. At times of high patient volume, individuals with broken bones or sprains may be seen in the hallway, either on stretchers or in wheelchairs. This will help shorten the waiting time and speed care. Our goal is to provide quality care while minimizing the wait.

Medical Care Team

Lourdes Emergency Department is staffed by professionals with specialized training in Emergency Medicine. They are also certified in Advanced Life Support, Advanced Trauma Life Support and Pediatric Advance Life Support. Patients are cared for by Registered Nurses, Board Certified Physicians and Board Certified Physician Assistants. The Medical Care Provider will be either a Physician or a Physician Assistant or both. A patient’s primary care physician will be contacted as necessary. Some conditions require that a specialist be contacted. An on-call list of specialists is maintained in the Emergency Department. If a specialist is contacted to see a patient, there may be a time delay for his or her arrival. This team of experts, working for you, will provide you with the most timely and complete care possible.

Laboratory & X-Ray Testing

The Medical Provider may order diagnostic laboratory or X-ray testing. These tests take time to be collected, processed and interpreted. Our staff will do it's best to keep patients and families informed. It is necessary for patients to remain in the Emergency Department while awaiting test results. A decision regarding treatment or admission to the hospital cannot be made until all test results are received and interpreted by the Medical Care Provider.

Visitors

Providing quality patient care, protecting patient confidentiality and minimizing waiting times are the primary concerns of the Emergency Department at Lourdes. We understand that families and friends of patients are concerned about “their” patient’s care and we will do our best to keep waiting family members and friends advised of the patient’s condition and progress. We, at Lourdes, feel that two family members or friends should be allowed to accompany the patient in the Emergency Department.

There may be times when all visitors are asked to leave the Emergency Department. They will be told when they may return. Please comply with any staff member’s request to leave the Emergency Department.

Visitors must stay in the room with the patient they are accompanying. The hallways must remain clear to allow staff to work efficiently. Emergency Department staff (RN, PA, MD) may make exceptions.

Fast Track

Lourdes Emergency Department has been extended to include Fast Track specifically designed to care for minor emergencies, in a comfortable, convenient setting. The Fast Track is not a walk-in clinic, but rather an integral part of the Emergency Department, designed to facilitate the care of non-critical emergencies. And, if your injury ends up being more extensive, all the resources of a full Emergency Department are available to you. The Fast Track is open seven days a week, from 10 am to 1 am.

Emergency Medical Services

Lourdes Hospital, like the other area hospitals, depends heavily on our Emergency Medical Service Providers. These individuals staffing the Susquehanna Region Emergency Services ambulances, both paid and volunteer, provide this community with high quality and timely pre-hospital care that makes the difference between life and death for many in our towns. The providers deserve our highest praise and respect.

EMS providers take time out from their lives to provide services to others. They work in close conjunction with our Emergency Department Physicians and act as the physicians' eyes, ears, and hands; caring for our community between home and hospital. These EMS providers initiate advanced cardiac care, advanced stroke care, advanced respiratory care as well as initial trauma care that save lives. They follow protocols (plans of care) developed by the Regional Medical Advisory Committee (a volunteer group of emergency medical physicians) designed to meet the specific needs of our community.