Emergency
A Center of Excellence in Emergency Medicine of Bangladesh
Emergency Medicine (EM) is a relatively new and dynamic specialty. The idea of Emergency Medicine was first introduced during French revolution by the French military surgeon Dominique Jean Larrey (Father of Emergency Medicine), by his use of “flying carriages”, bringing injured soldiers from war fields to the nearest hospital. But, it was not until 1970 when the first residency training on EM was introduced at the University of Cincinnati. In 1971, the first Emergency Department (ED) was established at the University of Southern California. Finally, in 1979, Emergency Medicine was recognized as a separate specialty in the USA. In the UK, the College of Emergency Medicine (CEM) was formed in 2004.
In Bangladesh, Emergency Medicine was first introduced officially by the BSEM (Bangladesh Society of Emergency Medicine) in 2009. Since then BSEM has been organising international workshops and seminars every year. It is not so far away when Emergency Medicine will be one of the most demanding post graduate specialties in Bangladesh like in the western countries.
The Emergency Department at United Hospital is one of the best in Bangladesh in terms of its infrastructure, diversity in patient base and the availability of expert emergency physicians & nurses. It has now also become one of the most dynamic academic venues for teaching and learning various skills and knowledge on emergency management.
The Emergency Department in United Hospital can be divided into four major sections. The first and the most important section is the “Triage Area” which comprises of a nursing station, a reception / customer service & accounts area and a waiting area. The second section is the “Critical Area” with three beds. The third section is called “Non Critical Area” comprising of eight beds. The fourth section is the “Observation Area” which has three beds. There is a “Minor OT” for minor wound repairs & dressings and a “Full Fledged OT” for major wound repair & procedures. The area also has a “Doctors Room” for OPD consultations & counselling and the recent addition of an “A&E Skill Lab” room for hands on practice and learning of different emergency procedures.
All Emergency doctors and nurses have training opportunity on many emergency procedures and management. The emergency department provides service 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Ambulance service is also available for both critical and non-critical patient transfers. On January 2 and 3 2015, two emergency physicians from United Hospital participated in EMICON 6 (6th International Conference on Emergency Medicine) as invited speakers and faculty for the ATLS station at Trauma Workshop organized by BSEM. Later that month a daylong “Workshop on Emergency Medicine” was held at United Hospital. On 7 May 2015, the first A&E skill lab of the country was founded in United Hospital.
Being part of this recent academic revolution, all emergency physicians and some indoor doctors have been motivated to pursue their future career in the field of emergency medicine by showing their willingness to sit for the UK based MCEM (Membership of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine) exams. All study materials are from the UK and a first MCEM study group is being formed.