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Accident and Emergency

Introduction

Tin Shui Wai Hospital (TSWH) is one of the 18 public hospitals under the Hospital Authority that provides Accident & Emergency (A&E) services. TSWH commenced A&E service since 15th March 2017 (8-hour service), which was extended to 12-hour on 21st March 2018 and 24-hour A&E service will be provided from 21st Nov 2018 onward. We aim to provide people-centred and quality A&E services.

Triage System

To ensure that patients are provided with timely treatment, all patients attending A&E Department need to undergo triage on arrival. After registration, patients will be categorized according to the urgency of their medical conditions. Priority for treatment is given to patients according to the medical conditions but not the time of registration.

How does it work?

When patients arrive at the A&E Department, they will first be assessed by an experienced and specially trained triage nurse according to the severity and nature of their medical conditions, and priority will be given to urgent cases.

Patients are divided into five categories according to their medical condition -

1. critical
2. emergency
3. urgent
4. semi-urgent
5. non-urgent

For critical patients who are dying or in life-threatening condition, they are accorded top priority and attended immediately by a team of medical and nursing staff without waiting.

Objectives of Triage

• To ensure early recognition and assessment of patients' condition and prioritize the treatment according to severity of the conditions
• To reduce unnecessary delay of treatment
• To give brief First-Aid advice
• To initiate immediate diagnostic tests, intervention and nursing treatment
• To allow effective utilization of staff and resources by allocating patients to appropriate treatment area according to their conditions
• To improve patient-staff relationship and departmental image through greeting and communication during process of triage
• To promote public relationship by immediate interview with patient
• To enable direct communication with pre-hospital care provider
• To provide documentation patients' condition, time of triage and preliminary treatment given in triage
• To provide staff training and decision making

We deliver service for critically ill or injured persons who need urgent medical attention.
Patients who do not require emergency attendance should seek medical treatment in public or private clinics.

The triage system has been adopted in all A&E Departments to help prioritizing individual patient needs. Emergency patients will be given immediate treatment, while those with non-acute symptoms should expect a longer waiting time.

Fee

Triage is one of the essential services provided by A&E Department. Patients who decide not to use the service after triage service before consultation are required to pay the A&E charges.

Patient flow

At Triage

• Registration is needed before Triage. Triage nurse then assesses and assigns patients to various categories
• Patients who cannot speak English or Chinese, or not communicable may need to wear a bracelet for identification. The bracelet will be removed when the patient leaves.
• The waiting time for consultation is determined by the triage category. More urgent cases will be attended first.
• Patients can approach nursing staff for help if condition changes.
• ONLY one relative, friend or escort personnel, is allowed to accompany the patient during consultation

Waiting Area

After Consultation

• After medical consultation, patients may need to wait for nursing treatments (such as injection, wound dressing, suturing) or investigation results (such as X rays, blood tests) before discharge.
• If observation is needed, patients will be monitored in designated observation area.

Discharge

Health care workers will help patients to remove the bracelet before leaving the department.

• Patients are advised to check their names on all documents (sick leave certificates, prescriptions and referrals) before leaving the department.
• Patients may not be able to collect the medications when pharmacy is closed. (Opening hours of pharmacy: Monday to Sunday-9:00am to 11:00pm (including public holidays)
• Pre-packed medications will be dispensed by our nurses if pharmacy is closed.

Admission

• Patients may need to be transferred to other hospitals, mainly to Pok Oi or Tuen Mun Hospital, if definitive treatment is not available in Tin Shui Wai Hospital.

Service hours

We provide emergency medical service on 24-hour basis.

Contact

Address:	11 Tin Tan Street, Tin Shui Wai, New Territories, Hong Kong.
Telephone:	3513 5000