SMUR and 112

SMUR/MUG FUNCTION

The Europe Hospitals participate in Emergency Medical Services (EMS), among other things through a SMUR/MUG (Mobile Emergency and Resuscitation) service.

The "SMUR" function (Mobile Emergency and Resuscitation) has existed within the clinics since 1992 on the St-Elisabeth site.

The service performs over 2,000 interventions annually. It only responds to the 112 number and therefore covers a large area of Brussels, a part of Flemish Brabant and of Walloon Brabant. The emergency ward of the Europe Hospitals is fully integrated in the federal Emergency Medical Services for civilians (112). A team is immediately available for interventions outside of the hospital with an emergency response vehicle.

The SMUR/MUG medical team consists of an emergency physician and a specialised nurse, both specifically trained, and a paramedic with an Emergency Medical Services certificate.

The patients will generally be transported to the closest adequate "112 approved" hospital:

• Except in collective emergency situations where the closest hospital is at full capacity;
• Except if the SMUR/MUG physician believes that the patient requires specific diagnostic and therapeutic resources (example: suspicion of a brain haemorrhage may justify sending the patient to a hospital equipped with a neurosurgical unit);
• Except if the SMUR/MUG physician certifies that the patient has all his medical records in a hospital other than the one designated by the 100 central;
• Except if, in the absence of a SMUR/MUG physician, the attending physician has provided a substantiated attestation explaining that a specific file exists at another hospital or that there are specific therapeutic or diagnostic needs.

Why can't a 112 emergency vehicle bring me to my hospital of choice?

The Emergency Medical Services Act of 1964, expanded in 1998, requires the “112” emergency vehicle to go to the closest “112 recognised” hospital.

Exception to this rule: if a doctor is present at the site, he may decide to refer the patient to the hospital of his choice.

For a non-urgent problem, patients may have themselves transported by an ambulance to their hospital of choice if they call a private emergency vehicle.

INTRAMURAL FUNCTION

The emergency team is involved in the urgent treatment of patients in life-threatening situations at the hospitals.

If you receive care in the emergency ward, hear the emergency physician's beep, and he or she quickly leaves the examination room where you are...

...don't worry. Any member of the clinic's staff can call on the emergency physicians for a patient in need of vital care.

SURVEILLANCE FUNCTION FOR DISASTER PLAN AND COLLECTIVE/PREVENTIVE EMERGENCY SERVICES

The emergency ward of the Europe Hospitals participates in medico-sanitary prevention plans implemented during collective or individual risk events:

The ward is also involved in the development of the Specific Emergency Intervention Plans (Plans Particuliers d'Intervention d'Urgence, PPIU) of known risk areas: Seveso risks, sociological and technological risks, the port of Brussels, etc.

Physicians and nurses of the emergency ward with training in disaster medicine and collective incident management participate in the surveillance of the medical assistance management for the Brussels Capital Region. In these particular circumstances, they ensure the coordination and deployment of all pre-hospital medical and health facilities, in collaboration with the Belgian Red Cross, the Brussels fire department, the police and civil defence services.

The Hospital Emergency Plan (Plan d’Urgence Hospitalier/Ziekenhuisnoodplan, PUH/ZNP) is intended to organise and redirect all hospital activities when faced with a state of emergency. The PUH/ZNP is developed, updated, tested and implemented by the emergency ward, in collaboration with the management and various departments of the hospitals.

15/02/2023