Department of Emergency Medicine (ER)

The Department of Emergency Medicine at Shaare Zedek Medical Center serves the residents of Jerusalem and its surrounding neighborhoods and is the busiest department in the city. The number of patients grows annually. 
The department is manned each day until midnight by senior physicians specializing in emergency medicine and internal medicine who have at least ten years experience in emergency medicine. Often the senior staff stays on till two or three in the morning due to patient overflow. 
Our physicians are qualified to treat all forms of injuries and emphasize personal attention to the patient and their family members. 
In addition the department has interns in internal medicine, emergency medicine, surgery, orthopedics, gynecology and more that treat patients under the guidance and supervision of the senior staff. ENT problems and ophthalmology problems are also treated through our outpatient clinic. 

Our department is unique among Israeli hospitals: 
Our experienced medical and nursing staff provides exceptional treatment accompanied by great dedication and warmth. The staff looks at the patient as a whole and based on their medical history and physical examination, as well as lab tests done at the department, decide if the patient requires hospitalization for further testing or can be discharged and continue the treatment at the outpatient clinic. Physicians from different specialties will be called for consultation as need be. 
We have a designated team that treats patients intended for hospitalization that haven't been hospitalized yet. As per SZMC's therapeutic approach, no patient may be hospitalized until a bed becomes available in the relevant department, therefore sometimes patients remain in the ER longer than needed. The designated team provides continuity of care for the patient and proceeds with the treatment and diagnosis as if the patient was transferred to the hospitalizing department. 

Please note: The Department of Emergency Medicine does NOT provide specialized treatment as a substitute for a long waiting period at the HMO and also is NOT the place to receive speedy testing for the diagnosis of non-acute problems.  

There are several treatment areas at the department. A triage nurse will direct the patients to the relevant area based on their clinical situation. 
"The quick track", located at the entrance to the department, is intended for ambulatory patients that meet several medical criteria. About 20% of patients are treated here.
The gynecological ER is also located near the ambulatory clinic. The staff consists of a nurse, an ultrasound technician and a gynecologist that are present from 8am until midnight. During the night the unit works in a limited capacity. 
All other patients are seen in the main area of the department (except for patients with ophthalmology and ENT problems who are seen in the relevant ambulatory clinic). The order of treatment is set according to the severity of the medical problem. 
In addition there is a waiting room for patients that don't meet the criteria of "The Quick Track" and a treatment area for ambulatory patients. 

Most patients are discharged at the end of their stay in the ER and only 3% of them come back for further treatment within 72 hours of discharge. This fact testifies to the quality of care and patient satisfaction of the medical treatment they received at the department.