Interdisciplinary emergency department from a trauma-surgical perspective

Comprehensive economic and sectoral changes in the German health system reveal vital structural problems of the current in-hospital emergency medical care, aggravated by demographic changes and limitations of reimbursement. Nowadays the historically expanded, heterogeneous, peripheral emergency departments (ED), which are divided by specialty and spatially separated, have reached their capacity limits. Up-to-date multidisciplinary EDs fulfilling current and future requirements may improve the quality of care and furthermore reduce costs. From a trauma-surgical point of view, well-established guidelines regarding patient care including the management of the severely injured, have to be followed. Even personnel resources, roster requirements and total quality management as well as regulations for further training require subject-specific consideration.