ACCIDENTS & EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS

The Accident and Emergency Departments (A&E) of the SHSO provide healthcare services for all incidents that are characterised as emergencies throughout the Republic of Cyprus and operate on a 24/7 basis.

Each Accident and Emergency Department constitutes an independent, specially configured and equipped section of the hospital, staffed by permanent medical, nursing and paramedical personnel, specially trained to treat incidents that require emergency care and acute therapeutic interventions. The A&E staff includes General Medicine Practitioners, Internal Medicine Practitioners, General and Orthopedic Surgeons, highly trained in providing care for serious and potentially life-threatening conditions in adults and children. SHSO’s A&E Departments are supported by all medical specialties, by specialist and doctors in training, on a 24-hour basis who are readily available to respond immediately, wherever and whenever their assistance to the A&E is required.

What is the role of the A&E Department?

It provides Emergency Medical and Nursing Care to those who are in need of urgent medical care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year
It functions as a "filter" to prevent unnecessary hospital admissions.
It has an Acute inpatients Unit, for short-term patient hospitalisations, for treatment or further investigation until the the decision to admit or discharge the patient is reached.
It can simultaneously treat a large number of injured patients in emergency situations (extreme weather conditions, natural disasters, acts of terrorism, pandemics), in direct cooperation with the Coordination Centres and the Pre-Hospital Unit (ACC).

When to go to A&E?

The A&E Department treats emergencies that are potentially life-threatening.

What constitutes an emergency?

Loss of consciousness, sudden dizziness, weakness
Sudden confused state
Sudden vision change
Chest pain or discomfort, or pain in the upper abdominal area
Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
Σοβαρή εξωτερική αιμορραγία που δεν σταματά με απλή πίεση 15 λεπτών
Severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis)
Sudden difficulty in speech or movement
Overdose of medication or ingestion of toxic substances
Severe burn
Severe injury (Craniocerebral Injury, Spinal Cord Injury, Abdominal Injury, Thoracic Injury, Pelvic Injury)
Heavy abdominal pain
Stroke
Convulsions
Child Injury
Child with vomiting, diarrhea, decreased urine output
Child with fever and drowsiness/numbness
Ιnfant under 3 months old with a fever of 38 °C or higher
Tendency or attempt to self-injure or suicide.
Abuse
Child who is "unwell" and its paediatrician cannot be reached.

What should I do in non-emergency situations?

Less serious injuries or conditions that are not life-threatening can be treated by the Personal Doctors.

What if I am not sure what to do?

Patients that are not sure what to do, may try to contact their general practitioner doctor or emergency departments of their doctors..

What happens upon arrival at the A&E Department?

he A&E of SHSO's hospitals, have a triage system in place for classifying cases according to the severity of the patient's condition. Triage is carried out by highly experienced nursing staff and its main purpose is to assess the urgency of each case based on the severity of the disease or injury and the risk it poses to the patient. In this way, each case is prioritised and its urgency for treatment is determined. According to the ESI ( Emergency Severity Index), there are 5 priority levels for examination, depending on the severity of each incident. During Triage, Tier 1 and 2 incidents are immediately transferred to the examination area for urgent treatment. Tier 3 and 4 incidents are informed that their condition is not considered urgent, that it is not life-threatening, and there will be some waiting time before being examined. Their registration takes place after the triage. Tier 5 cases, being NON-emergency cases, are informed that their examination will be delayed and are encouraged to refer to their Personal Doctor. If they insist on remaining at the A&E, they are informed that they will be examined once all cases of priority are attended to and they are referred for registration.

An officer of the department registers the patient's personal information. If the patient is unable to provide the required information, the responsibility for the latter is passed to the attendant or rescuer (paramedic). The personal information that will be requested is:

Full name
Date of birth
ID or ARC (Alien Registration Number)
Permanent residence address / Country of origin
Telephone number
Details of next of kin or guardian

Following the completion of information entry on the special form SHSO 1-125, the officer creates the patient's personal medical record at the A&E for the current visit. The patient is then called to the examination room for assessment according to the assigned tier which he/she received during triage.

When the patient enters the examination room, the A&E practitioner examines the patient and then provides all the necessary Medical Instructions (administration of medication, laboratory tests, radiodiagnostics) and the nurse assigned to the patient carries out all the relevant nursing procedures. If the attending practitioner of the A&E considers that the patient requires hospitalisation, he/she will call a specialist depending on the patient’s condition/injury. If admission is not required the practitioner of the A&E will discharge the patient. If it is deemed that it would be best for the patient to be transferred to another hospital of the SHSO for treatment, the Ambulance Service will immediately arrange the transportation.

A&E Equipment

The A&E Departments in the SHSO hospitals are highly organised, have the appropriate infrastructure and the necessary state-of-the-art equipment for the optimal treatment of severely ill patients, and their staff have the expertise to handle it properly.

Cardiographs
Monitors
Defibrillators
External pacemakers
Ventilators
Mechanical chest compression equipment (LUCAS)
Equipment for emergency abdominal ultrasound in patients with multiple injuries (FAST)
Mobile equipment for regular X-rays
Overdose of medication or ingestion of toxic substances
Severe burn
Severe injury (Craniocerebral Injury, Spinal Cord Injury, Abdominal Injury, Thoracic Injury, Pelvic Injury)
Heavy abdominal pain
Stroke
Convulsions
Child Injury
Child with vomiting, diarrhea, decreased urine output
Child with fever and drowsiness/numbness
Ιnfant under 3 months old with a fever of 38 °C or higher
Tendency or attempt to self-injure or suicide.
Abuse
Child who is “unwell” and its paediatrician cannot be reached.

All Imaging Departments (Regular X-rays, Ultrasound Department, CT and MRI), as well as the Clinical Laboratory (Haematology, Biochemistry) of the hospitals, cover the needs of the A&E Departments on a 24h hour basis, for providing all laboratory and imaging tests that are deemed necessary for each patient. The Blood Banks of the hospitals are available to the A&Es on a 24 hour basis for immediate service of possible urgent needs in blood.

Where can I find the A&E Departments?

A&Es are located in the 7 hospitals of SHSO and are available to all citizens throughout the Republic of Cyprus. More information can be found at the respective webpage of each hospital, following the links below: