It is the portion of the hospital that treats people experiencing an emergency. People get to the ED by different methods. Many drive themselves or are driven by someone else.
Some people arrive by ambulance or even helicopter.
After arriving at an ED, the person will be asked for personal and insurance information at the registration desk. The person is then evaluated by a triage nurse. This nurse decides whether the person needs to be taken right away into a treatment room, or if they can stay in the waiting room for awhile. Hospital EDs are set up to handle trauma and life-threatening cases. The triage nurse will ask what brings the person to the ED, and a medical history will be taken.