Emergency room

The emergency room is a room, or group of rooms, in a hospital that is designed for the treatment of urgent and emergency medical situations. In Great Britain and Australia, this section of the hospital is called the casualty ward, casualty department or casualty.

The services that are provided in an emergency room can range from simple x-rays and the setting of broken bones to those of full-scale trauma centers. A patient's chances of survival are greatly improved if emergency care begins within one hour of an accident (such as a car accident) or onset of acute illness (such as a heart attack). This critical time frame is commonly known as "The Golden Hour".

Emergency rooms around the world are increasingly being used for nonemergent care because of overburdened health care systems. Many people are forced to resort to attending the ER for minor injuries or illnesses if they occur late at night or at times when their GP is closed.