Emergency Department
The Emergency Department at Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC provides comprehensive care to men and women who are injured or critically ill. The Emergency Department (ED) is open at all times – every day, 24 hours a day.
Treating Both Men and Women
Magee has expanded our clinical care to men, as well as women, with a full-service ED and services including imaging, cardiology, orthopaedic surgery, lupus, gastroenterology, colorectal surgery, pulmonology, and urology.
Members of Magee’s medical staff hold academic appointments at the University of Pittsburgh and are actively involved in education and research, as well as patient care.
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Stroke Telemedicine Program
For a patient who has had a stroke, every minute counts. Magee has partnered with the UPMC Stroke Institute to implement a stroke telemedicine system to help assess potential stroke patients and deliver timely treatment. This system uses state-of-the-art videoconferencing technology to link experts at the UPMC Stroke Institute to Magee’s ED physicians.
The unit features a computer monitor and remote-controlled camera, and allows for two-way audio/video communication with stroke experts. The experts are able to "see" and assess the patient; ask questions of the patient, family members, and doctors; and view CT scans – all in real-time – to help assess the patient’s condition and help ED physicians determine if the patient is a candidate for acute stroke therapy.
The goal of acute stroke therapies is to stop a stroke while it is happening, by quickly dissolving the blood clot causing the stroke, or by stopping the bleeding of a hemorrhagic stroke.
» Learn more about the Stroke Telemedicine Program.
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What to Expect
The ED at Magee is a busy place. The ED staff works hard to ensure that all patients are seen in a timely manner and wait times are kept to a minimum.
When you arrive
When you arrive at the ED, you will be assessed right away by a caregiver to determine the severity of your illness or injury. This helps ensure that the patients with most serious problems are seen first.
Unlike a doctor's office, you cannot make an appointment for the ED. This means that sometimes many sick or injured patients arrive at the same time, causing a wait for those patients with less serious emergencies.
If a room is available, you will be taken immediately to an exam room. If a room is not immediately available, you will be asked to sit in the waiting area until a room becomes open.
When you are taken into an exam room
To prepare for the doctor’s exam, you might be asked to change into a hospital gown. You also might be attached to monitoring devices. Periodically, nurses and physicians will visit you, but these monitoring devices help our staff keep a constant eye on you.
The doctor may want to have tests or x-rays performed. Some tests may require you to go to another department. If you must leave the ED, a member of our staff will take you.
Please keep in mind that it often takes time for the results of tests or
x-rays to become available. As soon as your results are available, your doctor will explain the findings to you.
Your treatment
Depending on your particular injury or illness, your treatment may be simple or complex. Your treatment may consist of splints, bandages, IV's, or medications, and can take a few minutes or several hours.
The doctor will always discuss your treatment with you or your family. If at any time you do not understand your treatment, please ask for more information from the nurses or doctor.
The doctor determines if it is best for you to be discharged home or admitted to the hospital. The doctor may speak to other specialists about your treatment. Sometimes calls to other doctors cause delays, especially if they are unable to answer or return our call immediately.
If you are discharged home, the nurse will explain your instructions and prescriptions, and answer any questions about your care or treatment. If you are admitted to the hospital, staff will take you to your room as soon as it is available.
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Safe Haven
A child left at a "Safe Haven" is not abandoned
Pennsylvania’s Safe Haven law was passed in response to the tragedy of infant abandonment. The Safe Haven law is a safety net for both the mother and the newborn infant. Instead of abandoning a newborn to an almost sure death, it allows a parent of an unharmed newborn, approximately 28 days old or less, to leave it at a Safe Haven facility, which can be any inpatient hospital in Pennsylvania.
Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC is staffed 24-hours a day, seven days a week, and mothers can leave their infants in our ED with no questions asked, totally anonymous, free from fear of prosecution as long as the baby has not been harmed or abused. To find out more about Pennsylvania’s Safe Haven law, visit www.secretsafe.org.
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