When I am asked to talk about what the emergency department does, I say it is “2 TDs.”
Breaking down complex concepts into an acronym occurs throughout science and health
care (think E = mc2 or ABC). The other piece of explaining the emergency department in this manner is to relate
it to popular terms, such as football terms; I believe “2 TDs (touchdowns)” works
best. The 2 TDs are triage, diagnose, treatment, and disposition.
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References
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Biography
Andrew Harding, Member, Mayflower Chapter, is Director of Patient Care Services, Morton Hospital and Medical Center, Taunton, MA.
Article info
Publication history
Published online: June 04, 2009
Footnotes
Section Editors: Reneé Semonin-Holleran, RN, PhD, CEN, CCRN, CFRN, CTRN, FAEN, and Andrew Harding, RN, MS, AIF, CEN, NEA-BC
Submit descriptions of procedures in emergency care and/or quick-reference charts suitable for placing in a reference file or notebook to
Reneé Semonin-Holleran, RN, PhD, CEN, CCRN, CFRN, CTRN, FAEN
or
Andrew Harding, RN, MS, AIF, CEN, NEA-BC
Identification
Copyright
© 2009 Published by Elsevier Inc.
