The Emergency Observation Unit is an extension of the Emergency Department and is part of the Emergency Services Division of Northern Health.
The Emergency Observation Unit is a 28-bed ward that admits patients with an expected length of stay between 4 – 24 hours. Th ward comprises of 14 Emergency Observation Unit 1 (EOU1) beds and 14 Emergency Observation Unit 2 (EOU2) beds. EOU1 is for shorter admissions up to 24 hours and is staffed by the Emergency physician. EOU2 is for more complex patients that require a length of stay up to 36 hours and is staffed by the general medical consultants.
What to expect from the service?
The Emergency Observation Unit operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and is located on the ground floor of the Northern Hospital – Epping campus. There are 2 single rooms for patients requiring isolation and 6 single rooms with shared bathrooms. It primarily cares for patients with low-complexity complaints, with the goal of facilitating rapid discharge back to the community. The Emergency Observation Unit team is a highly functioning, dynamic, and adaptable workforce, united by a common goal: to collaborate effectively and deliver timely, safe, and high-quality care to our patients. Some examples of the common patients we see are gastroenteritis, tonsillitis, pyelonephritis, back pain, exacerbation of heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cellulitis
Locations
Contact us
A dedicated team staffs the unit, including an emergency physician, a general medical consultant, registrars, junior medical staff, nurses, ward clerks, and allied health professionals. Patients suitable for admission to EOU 1 or 2 are referred from the Emergency Department and discussed with the EOU 1 physician prior to admission between 8:00 am and 11:30 pm, and with a senior registrar overnight. The EOU 1 physician, in collaboration with the Ward 6 nurse-in-charge, assesses the appropriateness of admission and determines the most suitable team for the patient’s care. Patients whose length of stay exceeds the expected 36 hours are discussed with a speciality team for admission and coordinated for transfer to another ward by the access team.