Welcome to the Emergency Department and Prompt Care at California Pacific Medical Center - St. Luke's Campus
St. Luke's Emergency Department is open 24 hours a day – 7 days a week. Our Emergency Department is a Level II Basic Emergency Department and a pediatrician is on the premises 24 hours a day.
This information should help explain what is going to occur during your stay.
While you are in this area of the campus, you may experience some things that are unfamiliar to you. We hope what follows will briefly explain the process that occurs while you are visiting the Emergency Department and Prompt Care.
Triage
Whether you bring yourself, a family member brings you, or you are brought to the hospital by ambulance, you will speak with a Triage Nurse about why you are here. The Triage Nurse evaluates all Emergency Department patients to determine who needs immediate care. Some patients must have care immediately. These patients are seen first. Although someone may go ahead of you, we are aware that you are waiting to be seen by a physician. If your condition worsens, let the Triage Nurse know immediately.
Please notify the Triage Nurse if:
• Your condition changes
• You need to lie down
• You leave the Emergency Department
The Triage Nurse will record why you are here, medications you take, and important information about your past medical history. This nurse will also want to take your temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, and discuss any pain you may have.
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Registration
Your next step in the process is registration. You, or if you are too ill, a family member, will speak with one of the registration clerks.
The clerk will want to know your name, address and who your regular doctor is. We will treat you even if you don’t have insurance.
At registration you will be asked to sign a consent form. This gives us permission to treat you.
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Prompt Care
Prompt Care is the non-acute section of the Emergency Department, located across from the Main Waiting Area and down the hall to the right of the Triage Waiting Area. This is the area that takes care of life’s little emergencies. These emergencies can be treated quickly and efficiently in this patient care area.
In this part of the Emergency Department, you might have blood drawn for laboratory studies, x-rays ordered, stitches placed and bandages and splints applied.
The medical provider may be a Physician Assistant who can write prescriptions and arrange for follow-up care with your regular doctor or a specialist.
In Prompt Care there is also an Emergency Care Assistant or a nurse, waiting to help care for you.
Often a visit to Prompt Care is less complicated and may take less time than a visit to the acute care section of the Emergency Department.
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Emergency Department
The acute care section of the Emergency Department is behind the double doors, near the Triage Waiting Area. The Emergency Department has several different patient care areas. You will be seen by a physician, or Physician’s Assistant, and may experience some or all of the following:
• Ongoing care by a nurse assigned to care for you
• Blood drawn for laboratory tests. These tests may take as long as one hour or more to be completed.
• X-Rays. X-Rays take only a short time to be taken, but the Emergency Department physician as well as the Radiology physician must examine the x-rays and make a determination before you will know the results.
• An EKG (heart tracing)
Depending on test results, you may need:
• Medications
• IV fluids
• A visit from a specialist
• Bandages
• Stitches
• Splints or casts
• Surgery
• Admission to the hospital
All of these things take different amounts of time. The nurse that is caring for you can give you an idea of the length of time you can expect to wait. If at any time you are unsure of what is going to happen next, or are concerned about delays, please ask any of our staff.
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Discharge
You will be given after care instructions before you leave. It is very important that you understand and follow these instructions. If you do not understand any of the instructions, please ask. If questions arise once you get home, please call the Emergency Department at:
(415) 641-6625.
Photo Credit: Maxine Bauer Photography
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