[Position paper for a reform of medical emergency care in German emergency departments]. / Positionspapier für eine Reform der medizinischen Notfallversorgung in deutschen Notaufnahmen.

The hospital emergency departments play a central role for the in- and outpatient care of patients with medical emergencies in Germany. In this position paper we point out some general financial and organizational problems of German emergency departments and urge for a higher significance of emergency care in the German health system as an element of public services. The corresponding reform proposals include a change in hospital financing towards a more budget-based system for the emergency departments, an improved structural planning for regional and transregional emergency care, an intensified cooperation with the emergency services of the ambulatory care physicians, a better organizational representation of emergency care within the hospitals and an advancement of emergency medicine in postgraduate medical education.

[Concept of an interdisciplinary emergency department at the Schwarzwald-Baar Hospital]. / Konzept einer interdisziplinären Notaufnahmeklinik am Schwarzwald-Baar Klinikum.

BACKGROUND: Numerous hospitals were combined years ago into a new Central Hospital for cost reasons in the Schwarzwald-Baar region. This also suggested the idea of a large central emergency department. The concept of a central emergency department is an organizational challenge, since they are directly engaged in the organizational structure of all medical departments that are involved in emergency treatment. Such a concept can only be enforced if it is supported by hospital management and all parties are willing to accept interdisciplinary and interprofessional work. OBJECTIVE: In this paper, the concept of a central emergency department in a tertiary care hospital which was rebuilt as an organizationally independent unit is described. Collaborations with various departments, emergency services, and local physicians are highlighted. The processes of a central emergency department with an integrated admission department and personnel structures are described. CONCLUSION: The analysis of the concept after almost a year has shown that the integration into the clinic has been successful, the central emergency department has proven itself as a central hub and has been accepted as a unit within the hospital.

[Pain therapy in emergency medicine. Focus on emergency admissions]. / Schmerztherapie in der Notfallmedizin. Fokus Notaufnahme.

With a prevalence of 50-80 % pain is one of the main symptoms of emergency admission patients worldwide; however, study results demonstrate that only 30-50 % of patients receive adequate analgesia. Therefore, in the USA quality indicators have been established by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) since 2010 within the framework of quality assurance of emergency admissions, e.g. the time window until the start of pain therapy. Despite the prescribed pain evaluation as part of many existing triage systems, e.g. the Manchester triage system (MTS), emergency severity index (ESI), Australasian triage scale (ATS), Canadian triage and acuity scale (CATS), in most emergency rooms there is no standardized, documented pain assessment and pain intensity is documented by using the appropriate pain scales in only 30 % of cases. Lack of knowledge and training and lack of awareness by the nursing and medical staff regarding pain perception and management represent the main causal factors. Studies on the situation of pain therapy in German emergency departments are not currently available. Due to the increasing number of central emergency departments and interdisciplinary teams of physicians and nurses, it seems sensible to introduce interdisciplinary standards of treatment to achieve the greatest possible safety in the use of analgesics in the emergency room. It is important to incorporate the experiences of the various clinical departments in the standards. This article aims to provide an overview of the situation in pain management in emergency departments and to serve as a basis for recommendations for pain therapy in German emergency departments. This article particularly discusses the possibilities of pain evaluation, treatment options with various medications and under specific conditions, e.g. for children, pregnant women or the elderly or alternative ways of pain management.