Emergency care
Emergency care is the treatment of unexpected, severe medical injuries or infections. It is typically delivered in an emergency room or an ambulance. Our emergency medicine physicians stabilize your condition as quickly as possible to prepare you for the next step of care or discharge.
Emergency room (ER) in Tamarac, Florida
At HCA Florida Woodmont Hospital's emergency room, our top priority is making sure you get the emergency care and comfort you need quickly.
Our emergency room doctors provide 24/7 intensive and pediatric care services to ensure you receive the high-quality treatment you need, when you need it most. Our emergency department staff knows every second counts during a medical emergency. This is why our doctors, nurses and other staff work around the clock to keep your emergency room wait time as short as possible. Together, we're here to help you heal.
If you or someone you know is experiencing a medical emergency, please dial 9-1-1.
Expert care for emergency conditions
To ensure you receive the best possible emergency care, we provide a variety of advanced services to treat emergency conditions such as:
- Allergic reactions
- Appendicitis
- Concussions
- Heart attack
- Heat stroke
- Stroke (cerebrovascular incident)
Our emergency services
Our specialized team of emergency staff will determine the right treatment plan for you based on your needs.
Pediatric emergency care
Nothing is quite as stressful as when your child needs emergency care. We understand this, which is why the doctors and nurses at our pediatric-friendly emergency room are trained to care for children and address their unique needs. We also understand the role you play in your child's health and prioritize your involvement in developing a long-term treatment plan, if needed.
Our kid-friendly emergency room features:
- Board-certified emergency medicine physicians who are trained to treat both adults and children
- Nurses with special training and certification in pediatric care
- Private treatment rooms in a comfortable setting for children
Senior-friendly emergency care
Our newly renovated emergency room includes special accommodations for senior patients, including:
- Additional safety features, such as enhanced lighting, handrails and large print communications
- Designated private rooms
- Specially trained staff
Additional ways we prepare for your care
Knowing emergencies tend to happen when you least expect them, you often don't have time to prepare for a visit to the emergency room. With that in mind, we provide patients with a tool that can help save time during an emergency situation: an ICE card.
Once the information is filled in, ICE cards can be kept in your wallet or purse and provide vital information to EMS personnel and your caregiver if the need arises. This access to information helps us prepare for your care, before you even arrive to the hospital, saving time and lives.
Our emergency room wait times
When it comes to emergency care, our goal is to continually work toward enhancing the care you receive, while reducing our wait times. This ensures you get the care you need, when you need it most.
Our wait times are updated every 30 minutes and are available on our website.
To find out the wait times of the HCA Florida emergency room nearest to you, check the top of our website or text "ER" to 32222.
Note: Message and data rates may apply. Emergency room wait times are approximate and provided for informational purposes only.
When to go to the emergency room
We understand it can be hard to know what type of medical care you need, like whether you should go to the emergency room or wait for your doctor's office to open.
However, we want you to feel secure about your choice for care, which is why we've created a list of symptoms that may indicate you need to visit the emergency room:
- Back pain, when it is unbearable or accompanied by fever, numbness, weakness, confusion, slurred speech, vision loss or loss of control over bladder or bowels
- Broken bones, when the pain is severe or there is a visible deformity
- Chest pain, when it is crushing or squeezing and accompanied by other heart attack symptoms, such as shortness of breath or nausea
- Concussion, when you have lost consciousness, even briefly, or experience amnesia, vomiting, slurred speech or a seizure
- Flu, when symptoms become severe, such as having trouble breathing, vomiting uncontrollably or becoming dehydrated
- Side pain, when it is severe and occurs in the lower right stomach, side or back or is accompanied by fever, nausea, diarrhea or blood in the urine
- Stomach pain, when accompanied by a hard or tender stomach, nausea, shortness of breath, fever or irregular heartbeat
- Trouble breathing, when breathing stops, is noisy or high-pitched and comes with pain in the chest or severe shortness of breath
If you are unsure if your symptoms require an emergency room visit, you can speak to a nurse 24/7 by calling our Consult-A-Nurse® team at (954) 724-6342.
What to expect at the emergency room
When you get to the emergency room, one of our triage nurses will assess your symptoms and vital signs. Next, a registration clerk will collect your insurance card (if available) and other information.
We medically screen, evaluate and stabilize all patients — whether or not they have insurance or are able to pay.
Anyone who has severe, life-threatening illnesses or injuries will be treated first. Everyone else will be treated in the order they arrive.
Before discharge, we encourage you to ask our emergency care teams any questions you have. It is also useful for you to keep all of your paperwork, discharge information and medicines or prescriptions together after you leave the emergency room.
After discharge, our emergency department staff will reach out to your primary care provider to ensure they are updated on your care.
What to bring to the emergency room
When coming to the emergency room, we recommend you bring:
- A list of medicines you currently take
- A list of known allergies
- Copies of results from recent medical tests, if available
- Personal care preferences and restrictions
- A responsible adult or phone number for someone to contact
Intensive care services
Our intensive care unit (ICU) is a designated department in our hospital for critically ill, adult patients experiencing very serious injuries or medical conditions. The ICU provides advanced care to ensure constant monitoring of your health during this important time.
Patients are commonly admitted to intensive care for:
- Heart problems, such as extremely low or extremely high blood pressure, abnormal heartbeat or heart attack
- Lung and breathing problems, such as acute asthma or severe pneumonia
- Postoperative care, including recovery from intensive surgery
- Renal and endocrine disease
- Serious infections, including sepsis
Enhanced ICU monitoring
The ICU team uses advanced technology to monitor your condition, provide you with needed medication and even perform life-sustaining bodily functions in the event your body is incapable.
Advanced equipment helps our staff ensure the highest level of care. By constantly monitoring your vital signs, the staff can immediately be alerted if your status declines and needs prompt attention.
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