1. History
Emergency patient care in Debrecen was initiated in the ground floor unit of the 1st Internal Medicine Department on 1 September 2007. On 1 November 2017, the first independent Emergency Clinic in Hungary was inaugurated at the Clinical Centre of the University of Debrecen. In the same year, the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Faculty of General Medicine of the University of Debrecen was established.
2. Provided services and care
The services available at the Department of Emergency Medicine include a wide range of bedside laboratory tests like patient blood gas, electrolyte, and glucose tests, as well as the measurement of cardiac markers essential in emergency diagnostics.
The samples can be sent for analysis via a pneumatic tube post system, which can significantly shorten the delivery time of test results. The basement of the building hosts a number of X-ray, ultrasound and CT examination rooms to further facilitate emergency diagnostics.
3. Patient care details
The Department of Emergency Medicine underwent a significant development in terms of human resources; currently, we have a large staff including nearly 120 clinical specialists and licensed nurses to attend about 35,000 patients requiring emergency care a year. After registration, patients are categorised using the Hungarian Emergency Triage System to define their emergency status and the corresponding admission time window.
The Department also employs a team of specialists providing emergency care at the Clinical premise 1 (any Clinic there and the area among the Clinics) to anyone requiring acute care.
4. Technology and development
At the outpatient department of the Department of Emergency Medicine outpatients are examined and provided care in 2 triage rooms, 4 ambulatory rooms and a separate Acute Care Unit. The inpatient department has a capacity of 42 beds with bed monitoring system, state-of-the-art ventillation solutions, cardiac ultrasound machine, defibrillator, and other technology essential in emergency patient care.
The Department maintains permanent communication with the National Ambulance Service via radio; this way, we can be in permanent connection with the dispatcher of the ambulance services or staff in the ambulance car itself. This communication system can highly facilitate our preparation for the arrival of patients arriving in a serious condition, and greatly enhance the quality of care.