Consumer Information Materials for Victorian Emergency Departments

Research revealed consumers need information about the process of care in the emergency department.  To meet this need the Welcome to the emergency department brochure and complementary DVD were developed and distributed for use in emergency department waiting rooms.

The Welcome to the emergency department brochure for distribution at triage desks is designed to meet patient and carer needs upon arrival in the emergency department, during care and at discharge.

Welcome to the Emergency Department - brochure June 2006 (PDF 266KB)

The Welcome to the emergency department DVD is five minutes in duration and features live action integrated with clay animation. It is designed to attract viewer interest and enhance comprehension, and to reassure and inform patients and their carers of the processes within the emergency department. Order the DVD.

It is recommended that the DVD is screened in the emergency department waiting room once every hour.  To assist optimal viewing, it is recommended that a signal switcher device, that allows “set and forget” replay is used. The DVD switcher triggers auto play of the five- minute DVD at regular intervals (e.g. once every hour), then switches off and automatically reverts to the default screening (e.g. free-to-air or cable TV programs) in between. This reduces the need for staff to turn the DVD on or off. Staff can override the DVD at any time using the remote control.

To assist viewing of the Welcome to the emergency department DVD, Victorian public hospital emergency departments can order a video switcher kit (including DVD player) from the Royal Children's Hospital Shop Online.

A series of emergency department factsheets have been developed to assist communication between emergency department clinicians and patients and/or carers. They provide condition specific health and medical information for people attending the emergency department.