title: The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act: what emergency nurses need to know.
abstract: The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) is a federal statute that should be recognized and understood by all nurses who work in an emergency department or other settings where patients with potential emergencies may present themselves for care. It is a law that imposes specific legal requirements on hospitals in terms of medical screening, stabilization, and transfer of patients, regardless of whether they are outpatients or inpatients. As agents of the hospital, nurses are responsible for maintaining compliance with EMTALA regulations. This article reviews the components of EMTALA and the ways in which they are applied to clinical nursing practice.
authors.affiliation: Residency Office, Department of Emergency Medicine, St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, 5301 East Huron River Drive, 1B95, Ann Arbor, MI 48106, USA. jmitch@umich.edu
authors.forename: James C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Mitchiner
authors.forename: Charlotte S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Yeh
mesh_terms: D004282:Documentation / Q000592:standards; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000592:standards; D016529:Emergency Nursing / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000592:standards; D004638:Emergency Treatment / Q000451:nursing* / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards; D010360:Patient Transfer / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D010808:Physical Examination / Q000592:standards; D010819:Physician's Role; D014218:Triage / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards; D014481:United States