Overview
The Emergency Medicine Department at King Abdulaziz Medical City is one of the largest Academic Centers in Kingdome of Saudi Arabia and the region and still aiming to be on top of it. Our department has taken giant steps in the area of quality improvement and quality interactions with our patients and still making headway towards climbing the mountain, working closely together to continue and maintain our achievements.
The Emergency Medicine Department provides care to all eligible patients who present to the department. Our state-of-the-art facility has more than 150 active beds and continued to experience developmental and expansion changes which are best summarized by the continued ongoing restructuring efforts and the successful operations.
Mission of Emergency Medicine Department
Emergency Medicine Department aims to provide timely, appropriate, and state-of-the-art emergency care service for all Ministry of National Guard employees, their families and anyone who is critically ill or injured seeking for our help. We are dedicated to improve the outcomes of acutely ill and injured patients through high quality, evidence-based, and cost efficient care, education, and research.
Vision of Emergency Medicine Department
Emergency Medicine Department will distinguish ourselves as the leaders in the specialty of Emergency Medicine in the Middle East. We will strive to provide excellent and compassionate care and seamless services to our valued customers. We will be recognized for integrating research into our practice ensuring our customers receive the highest quality care service.
Core Values of Emergency Medicine Department
Emergency Medicine Department adheres to core values taken from religious, social and professional principles, abiding by:
- Respect religious and social values.
- Patient safety and satisfaction.
- Quality performance.
- Respect and dignity.
- Transparency.
- Teamwork.
- Productive work environment.
- Accountability.
- Behavior and work ethic.
- Excellence and innovation.
ECC Transformation Project
With the widespread of MERS Corona Virus in the Kingdom in 2015, the decision to close the whole organization was implemented. This became a good chance for the Emergency Medicine Department to restructure the whole area including patient flow and policies. With the new transformation, the department came up with an idea to have a Drive-Through Screening Unit, which is first time to be seen in the Middle East and the establishment of Flu Unit where the patients with symptoms of Acute Respiratory Illnesses (ARI) are being triaged to immediately, assessed and managed. This started its operation since October 25, 2015.
Emergency Medicine Department Operation Capacity
- Emergency Medicine Department receives and sees more than 170,000 patients per year, averaging over 500 patients per day.
- Resuscitation Unit: 15 beds
- Acute Care Unit: 48 beds + 1 ENT assessment room
- Rapid Assessment Management Unit: 16 beds + 14 chairs
- Clinical Decision Unit: 9 beds
- Flu Unit: 18 beds + 1 chair
- Acute Medical Unit: 23 beds
- Fast Track: 1 bed + 5 chairs
- Total: 150 active beds
Divisions
Resuscitation Unit
Resuscitation Unit is a 16-bed units with state of the art equipment used for critically ill patient who are in immediate need for life saving measures.
It has the capacity to perform emergency operative procedures and care of the critically ill and injured patients (CTAS level I and II) including trauma patients.
This area has five (5) negative pressure rooms to manage critically ill patients with airborne precautions. KAMC-ECC is recognized as trauma center level I, stroke center and STEMI center.
Acute Care Unit
Acute Care Unit contains 48 Bed +1 ENT assessment room that provides expeditious care to those patients that are signed into the unit, conscious sedation and highly acute patient (mainly CTAS triage level III) and overflow of level II patients in Resuscitation Unit.
This area sees patients with pulmonary complaints, such as COPD and asthma exacerbations in addition to other acute presentations including management of oncology, organ transplant, trauma, Cardiac, early pregnancy, metabolic, endocrine and geriatric patient.
Rapid Assessment Management Unit
Rapid Assessment Management Unit (RAM) functions as the main ED assessment and initial selected management unit for all non-critical and non-suspected acute respiratory illness patients.
It is the area where the decision to either triage away to other facility, send home or sign-in for further assessment and management in either the Acute Care Unit, Clinical Decision Unit or Acute Admission Specialized Unit.
Fast Track Unit
Fast Track has been officially in operation since 2nd October 2017. It has 5 reclining chairs and 1 room for procedure + 1 equipped ophthalmology room. This is dedicated to provide expeditious care to those non-critical patients (level 4 & 5) that are signed into the unit & to triage away non-life saving cases to where eligible.
Fast Track Unit functions as a quick assessment and minor intervention of patient by the ED Physicians. Patient seen in this unit should be fit for discharge without delay for further management or lengthy interventions and procedures.
Drive Through Screening Unit
Drive Through Screening Unit (DTS) functions as the initial screening for acute respiratory illnesses, directing OB patients to L&D Entrance, pediatric patients to KASCH, as well as to control and limit the flow of visitors and unauthorized employees in ER.
This unit also facilitate and expedite direct ambulance transit through ED Gate #3 to the Ambulance Entrance.
Clinical Toxicology
Clinical Toxicology provides consultation service to all emergency department, inpatient, and outpatient poisoned patients.
It also provides 24/7 multi-disciplinary medical care, teaching, and research in medical toxicology to NGHA patients while minimizing unnecessary cost.
Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) provides immediate medical care to the people who most need it, without which, heart attacks and accidents would lead to many more fatalities.
The EMS is the corner stone of any health institution or medical sector looking to improve the healthcare in the community locating in its catchments area.
The EMS aims to be ideal model to improve response tie, coverage and quality parallel with the evolution of medical civilization in the Ministry of National Guard. Services provided by the EMS include:
- Provide immediate care in the field.
- Transfer patient from catchment area to the hospital.
- Intra-facility transportation.
- Respond to code blue and emergency in designated areas.
- Critical care transfer including MediVac.
- Special mission coverage.
- Transfer selected patients to and from the hospital.
Disaster Management
Disaster Management develops and implement the plans and procedures to be followed by the Administration and staff in handling its response to internal emergencies, external community emergencies, epidemics, natural or other disasters.
It is established to maintain contact with all internal and external bodies involved in emergency management and identify their roles and responsibilities. Disaster Management coordinates education and training efforts for implementing Emergency / Disaster Preparedness Plan and subsequent drills of all employees.
Evaluates Emergency / Disaster Preparedness Plan regularly, identify and propose corrective actions and update the plan annually as necessary. It develops a mechanism for post Incident Evaluation and report Disaster Plan updates, mock drill results and any other crucial information to CREMC.
Emergency Command Center (e-CC)
Emergency Command Center serves as a central hub for all kind of emergency communications, dispatch services, and disaster operations in KAMC-CR and assume strategic oversight and central interagency coordination for all disaster operations in other MNGHA Facilities to achieve timely, well-informed, and efficient utilization of resources to reduce loss of life, damage to property and harm to the environment.
In addition, this center is now functioning as a crisis call center for COVID-19 public calls, consultations, and information.
Also, it will serve as a center for tele-emergency medicine calls, to receive calls from the public and provide medical consultation, appointment booking, treatment, and better access to care for urgent and semi-urgent cases.
The public can access this center by calling this number: 0118011115
Emergency Department Coordinators
The ED Coordinators are a team that is dedicated to improve and promote standard quality of care to patients and act as the representative of ED Administration.
They function to ensure optimum utilization of Emergency Beds by coordinating with all units within the Emergency Department and liaise with the Admission Office to ensure that patients are admitted promptly to inpatient beds.
ED Coordinators facilitate the transfer of Inpatient to other Institutions outside KAMC for further care and management and making sure that patients transferred from other facilities outside KAMC are received and accommodated.
All areas of Emergency Department has been managed and observed by the ED Coordinators for 24 hours assuring the smooth flow of operation in the area.
Quality Management Performance Improvement and Audit
Quality Management Performance Improvement and Audit is operated by the ED QM Specialist who plans, designs, coordinates and oversees execution of audits approved by the ED Chairman.
He also analyses the data outputs to generate official reports to the respective authorities via the ED Chairman. He is assisted by three (3) Patient Care Technicians (PCT’s).
Emergency Medicine Education
This program encompasses the content and scope of the EM specialty, the evolving body of knowledge, the procedural and interpersonal skills, teaching, and research.
It provides immediate access to the latest academic knowledge from experts dedicated to guiding and counseling young emergency physicians. It also provides a sense of focus and motivation in the pursuit of a tangible short-term objective, graduation.
That sense of focus is extended through preparation for the certification examination. Against this background, then, it is easy to see how recent graduates of residency training programs are truly at their peak in knowledge and training.
Dedicated Training Programs
- Residents and Rotators
- Medical and EMS Interns
- Medical and EMS Students
- Emergency Medicine Residency Training Program
Since its establishment in 2000 as the first Emergency Medicine Residency Training Program in Saudi Arabia and the MENA region, this program has graduated many leaders of the emergency medicine specialty in the Kingdom with an annual intake of 20 new residents for a total of four years training period.
This program has been conducting four (4) to five (5) Educational Residents’ Activities per month covering topics related to Emergency Medicine to produce outstanding clinical Emergency Medicine Physicians.
It has also been conducting a monthly Journal Club for the residents, presenting 5–6 state-of-the-art articles each month with detailed critique in the scientific literature.
Emergency Medicine Rotation
This rotation is provided for other residents either from other specialties or from the same specialty but rotating from other non-KAMC residents.
For application please contact Academic Affairs - Medical Education:
Mededu1@mngha.med.sa
Interns Rotation
Medical and EMS interns can apply for rotation at the ED through their university internship office.
Summer Elective Students Rotation
KSAU-HS’s students can apply to do their summer training at the university website. After that, the ED will receive a list from the university.
Other universities’ students can apply to do their summer training at the Internship Office, then the list will be sent to the department.
Education Programs
Residency Program in Emergency Medicine
Program Director: Dr. Sameerah Al Somali
Clinical Decision Unit (CDU)
Clinical Decision Unit (CDU) provides a continuum of the highest quality emergency care to a select population of ED patients who would otherwise require admission in a cost effective, evidence-based manner leading to reducing admission rates and increasing patient satisfaction.
Flu Unit
Flu Unit is an 18-bed negative pressure rooms unit that functions as the dedicated receiving and managing unit for all stable suspected acute respiratory illness patients presenting to the ED.