Definitions

Pediatric Emergency Department photo

Admission - the process of admitting a patient for further treatment or observation in the hospital after evaluation and treatment in the emergency department. 

Dermabond or “skin glue” –  a strong, sterile medical glue used for the same purpose as sutures. Once the wound is healed, the glue falls off on its own.

“Ouchless medicine”- a variety of ways to manage or eliminate pain before a procedure

Sedation - giving a patient special medication(s) to induce a sleep-like condition. Sedation is used for very painful procedures (such as straightening a bone fracture) or for procedures requiring being completely still (such as MRI or CT scan for young patients) and is performed with constant monitoring of the sedated patient by doctors and nurses.

Sutures (“stitches”) – material used to close a cut on the skin. They can be non-absorbable (made from a synthetic material, such as nylon) or absorbable. Non-absorbable sutures require removal after the cut is healed, whereas absorbable sutures “fall off” on their own.

Triage - a first stage of evaluation in the emergency department. A triage nurse assesses the patient, and determines the level of urgency of the patient’s condition.