Emergency Department

When you arrive at the Emergency Department, a triage nurse will assess how quickly you need treatment and where you need to go for your care. 

You will be asked for the following information:

• The reason for your visit to the Emergency Department
• A list of your current medications and allergies

The triage nurse will also record your vitals, including your pulse, blood pressure, temperature and breathing rate.

Please leave your personal belongings and valuables at home or with a companion. If this is not possible, you may ask hospital security to store your items. 
 

Once you have been triaged, a registration clerk will create your chart and provide you with an identification wrist band.

Your chart will be used by our health-care team to document your care. 

You will be asked for the following information for your chart:

• Your full name and address
• Your health (OHIP) card 
• Information about any other health insurance plans
• The name of your family doctor
• An emergency contact phone number

Patients with the most urgent concerns are seen first, regardless of who arrives first. Things can change quickly in the Emergency Department, which may delay your care. We know waiting is difficult, but please be patient.

We have recently experienced higher than normal wait times in our Emergency Department. Wait times depend on a number of factors, including availability of resources and staffing within the hospital. 

Everyone who registers at the ED is seen by our medical team. If you are not experiencing an emergency, please consider other options for care, including contacting your family physician or specialist, visiting Ontario Health 811 or using the Toronto Virtual Emergency Department. 

When you move from the waiting area to the treatment area, a primary nurse will assess you again. This nurse is responsible for your care while you are in the Emergency Department.

Depending on your assessment and test results, an emergency physician may:

• Provide you with treatment within the Emergency Department
• Send you home with instructions
• Make arrangements for you to follow up with your family physician 
• Arrange for you to see a specialist at Mount Sinai in a follow-up appointment  
• Call in a consulting physician or specialist who will decide whether you need to be admitted to the hospital 

Please note we are a teaching hospital, so you may see medical students, residents or fellows as part of your care. Learners are supervised by other members of our dedicated health-care team who work together to provide you with comprehensive care.

We also offer a number of specialized services to support patients in the Emergency Department. 

Geriatric emergency management (GEM): Our nurses, who are highly trained in identifying potential mental health or cognitive challenges, connect older adult patients to resources and services in the community for additional support. 

Maximizing Aging Using Volunteer Engagement (MAUVE): Our specially-trained volunteers work closely with the care team to provide older adult patients with comfort, companionship and support while they are in the Emergency Department.

Psychiatric emergency services: Our psychiatrist and mental health clinicians provide mental health support directly within the Emergency Department.

Pathway to Peers: We provide support to youth and young adults between the ages of 16 and 29 who come to the Emergency Department for mental health and addiction concerns.

Visitors play an important role in keeping our hospital safe. To ensure the safety of patients, visitors and our people at this time, only patients who meet specific criteria are eligible to have visitors in the Emergency Department. 

Please review our current guidelines for visitor access to the Emergency Department. 

When you leave our Emergency Department, you will receive the the following:

• A pink copy of your chart
• Blood work and imaging results for your records
• Instructions about signs and symptoms to monitor for at home, including signs that you should come back to the Emergency Department
• Follow-up instructions for your family doctor or a referral to a specialist, if needed

We may also provide you with information and recommendations on how to manage your care at home. The following evidence-based resources were developed by our Emergency Department to support our patients and their caregivers. 

• Back pain
• Head injury
• Kidney stones
• Vaginal bleeding
• Vertigo 

Please make sure you understand all of the instructions given to you before you leave the Emergency Department. If you have questions, ask your primary nurse for more information.

Please do not take photos or record audio or video in the Emergency Department.

Our staff will ask you to delete any unauthorized photos or recordings taken in the Emergency Department. This is to protect patient and staff privacy and to meet privacy laws.

Those who do not co-operate will be asked to leave.  

• Health (OHIP) card or valid health care coverage
• Photo identification with your current address
• A list of your current medications 
• A list of your current physicians

Please leave your valuables at home.