Triage
After registering at reception, a nurse will take you for an initial assessment of your problem. We question your complaints and symptoms and determine how urgently you need help. You are given a colour code that gives you an idea of the possible waiting time. We call this system triage.
Why triage?
Patients come to our department via various routes: by ambulance, via the (family) doctor or on their own initiative. The large number of patients can cause waiting times.
Our main task is to administer initial care to patients with an immediate life-threatening condition as quickly as possible. Patients with the most urgent condition(s) are helped the fastest.
We apply triage to children too, but we try to keep the waiting time for them as short as possible.
Colour codes
Each urgency level has a colour code. This gives you an idea of the possible waiting time until an urgent doctor can see you for the first time. Besides urgency, the availability of doctors and treatment rooms also affects the waiting time. The triage nurse will give you more details.
If you have to wait longer than anticipated due to high demands, we will re-assess your condition.
Red: acutely life-threatening
These patients are very seriously ill or have life-threatening injuries. Treatment cannot wait. They proceed immediately to the treatment room, with no waiting time.
Orange: very urgent
These patients are seriously ill or have a serious injury. They usually go to the treatment room immediately. We try to limit the waiting time to 15 minutes.
Yellow: urgent
These patients present with conditions or injuries that need treatment, but treatment can wait a while. We aim to have a medical examination by a doctor within the hour. We try to prioritise patients referred by a doctor (GP) within this category.
Green: standard
These patients present with problems where treatment can wait for a longer time. We aim for an examination by a doctor within two hours. We try to give priority within this category to patients referred by a doctor (GP).
Blue: non-urgent
These patients present with non-urgent problems that do not require immediate treatment. These applications are the least urgent. We try to examine patients within three hours . In the evening, at night and at weekends, we refer these patients to the Out-of-hours GP service on the UZ campus.
Examinations and treatment
Where will you be treated?
The Emergency department has several treatment rooms. The triage colour, your complaint and your age help us estimate where we can best treat you.
- Critical care zone: for immediate, life-saving treatment (e.g. patient with acute myocardial infarction).
- Acute care zone: for patients who are monitored but not permanently observed by a nurse (e.g. patient with pneumonia without high oxygen demand)
- Fast-track zone: room for patients requiring less extensive examinations and treatments (e.g. patient with a sprain or limited fracture)
- Paediatric treatment area: we try to admit children in these more child-friendly areas as much as possible
Who treats you?
You will be assigned to a nurse who will help you as soon as possible. He or she will e.g. already put on a bandage, give pain relief, etc.
Sometimes you have to wait in the treatment room for a while for the doctor to arrive. You will initially be examined by an emergency doctor. If necessary, he or she will call in the help of doctors from other disciplines.
Additional examinations
After the initial medical examination, the doctor may schedule additional investigations, such as a blood test, radiography, etc. Most examinations take place in the Emergency department or right next door. The doctor may also immediately start treatment or seek advice from a colleague from another discipline.
Discharge, observation or admission
After the examinations and any treatment, the doctor will decide whether you can go home, be observed for a while in the Emergency department or have to stay in hospital.
Going home
If you are allowed to return home, we will send a discharge letter to your GP as soon as possible.
We often give oral and/or written guidelines and tips for at home. Once at home, if you have any questions or problems, call the Emergency department on tel. 09 332 50 24 or contact your GP.
Remember to ask the emergency doctor for attestations for your work or insurance. We use a standard insurance attestation that you can attach to your insurance form. If you have any questions about certificates afterwards, please mail to secretariaatspoed@uzgent.be.
Observation
The doctor may decide to observe you in the Emergency department for a few hours or even overnight. After that, we will decide whether you can go home or be admitted to hospital.
Hospitalisation
If you have to be admitted, the Emergency department will arrange transport to the nursing ward, Intensive Care or Operating Unit. Your companion can normally accompany you to the new ward for a while, but he or she cannot stay there outside visiting hours. Parents may, however, stay with their child.