Emergency department signage

P20 V5

Timeframe for review:                 Every three years, or earlier if required

Document authorisation:            Council of Advocacy Practice and Partnerships

Document implementation:        Council of Advocacy Practice and Partnerships

Document maintenance:             Department of Policy, Research and Partnerships

Copyright

2023. Australasian College for Emergency Medicine. All rights reserved.

1. Purpose and scope 

This document outlines the policy position of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) on signage that should be used to denote emergency departments (EDs). It is a matter of public safety that if a facility is signposted as an ‘Emergency Department’ or ‘Emergency’ that the facility must comply with a minimum standard.

2. Policy

Emergency care is provided by a wide range of facilities and providers from remote clinics, general practices, ambulance services, retrieval services through to EDs. EDs are dedicated, hospital-based facilities specifically designed and staffed to provide 24-hour emergency care. An ED cannot operate in isolation and must be part of an integrated health delivery system within a hospital, both operationally and structurally (refer to ACEM Policy on Standard Terminology (P02) and Statement on the Delineation of Emergency Departments (S12)).

‘Emergency’ and ‘Emergency Department’ signage should only be used at facilities that comply with the minimum standards as defined in Statement on the Delineation of Emergency Departments (S12).

The terms ‘casualty’, ‘accident’, ‘accident and emergency’ or ‘accident and medical’ are confusing to the public and should not be used by health care facilities. Such terms are misleading and health care facilities that display them may be mistaken as EDs.

3. Procedure and actions

ED signage should consist of the word ‘Emergency’ or ‘Emergency Department’ in white letters on a red background, complying with Australian Standards: safety signs for the occupational environment (AS1319). ACEM acknowledges that the symbols of the International Red Cross and the Swiss flag are protected symbols under Article 38 of the Geneva Convention.

Hospitals without an ED should have signage clearly indicating this. The signage should include details of the nearest available EDs.

Specialised EDs, such as paediatric or eye and ear hospital EDs, should have their area of specialisation clearly displayed.

ED signage that has Indigenous art embedded, or is in the local language, can improve Indigenous peoples’ experiences of the ED. Working with local Indigenous communities is key to improvement of use and outcomes.