Breadcrumb Home For patients and visitors Treatments and examinations Emergency Assessment of your need for treatment Assessment of your need for treatment Emergency assessment of the need for treatment consists of an assessment made by a healthcare professional of whether you need urgent examinations and treatment within the health care system to handle an acute health problem or not. Primarily, assessment of your health is done over the telephone, but a reassessment will usually be made when you arrive to the Emergency services. Your health care needs are assessed individually, following your individual situation and needs with due consideration of any risk factors you may have. Actual treatment may take place at the Emergency services, in another health care unit or in some other appropriate way. Assessment of your need for treatment is not the same as doing a diagnostic workup. Consulting a physician or nurse A nurse will always assess your need for care and how urgently you need it when you arrive at the Emergency services. You may be directed to the waiting lounge to wait for seeing a doctor or nurse. There are physicians of many specialties working in the Emergency services. The physician decides what the ailment of the patient is (diagnosis) and how it is to be treated. In order to arrive at a correct diagnosis, the physician interviews, examines and observes the patient and orders some examinations (lab, imaging etc). The nurse treats mild respiratory infections and other infections, administers injections and performs minor procedures, like glueing cuts and changing catheters. Nurses who have undergone additional training are authorized to write prescriptions to treat certain infectious diseases. Nurses, who may consult physicians, are independently responsible for the treatment they give. They have also an obligation to provide health care guidance to patients. Further observation You may be moved to an observation room, if your condition and treatment require observation. In the observation room, all necessary tests can be performed and physicians of different medical specialties can provide help and advice for deciding on the best treatment. The waiting time is also treatment time, since observation of the patient’s condition is an essential part of patient management. If your condition changes, please let the health care personnel know. Emergency services is occasionally crowded and waiting times will be long. Some examinations may be made before the patient sees a doctor, e.g., urine sampling, blood pressure measurement and ECG. The doctor may prescribe laboratory, imaging and other examinations and it takes some time before the results are available. Once the results have come, the doctor will inform you and decide on how to proceed. If your condition changes while you are waiting, please inform the health care personnel. Please feel free to ask the personnel if you have questions that arise during your stay at Emergency services. Referral for management at home or for treatment at your health care center If your condition does not require emergency treatment, the physician may refer you for treatment / management at home or ask you to book a time with your occupational health nurse / physician or at your local health care center. Print this page