When the skills of a specialist are required in an emergency department, hospitals should

• A. Delay care until the patient is intellectually ready.
• B. Transfer to another facility immediately.
• C. Call in the necessary specialist on-call for assistance; if there is no such specialist, the patient should be transferred after stabilizing to an appropriate facility.
• D. Proceed with generalists only.

Answer: (C)

When an emergency requires specialized skills, the patient needs access to the exact expertise to address the condition promptly and effectively. Hospitals should bring in the necessary on-call specialist to provide that care right in the emergency department. If that specialist isn’t available, the patient should be stabilized first and then transferred to a facility that can deliver the required level of care. This approach balances timely, appropriate intervention with patient safety during transfer. Delaying care until the patient is “ready” or transferring without stabilization risks deterioration, and relying only on generalists may miss the specific intervention needed.