An Acute Medical Unit (AMU) is a hospital department for rapid assessment, diagnosis, and short-term treatment of patients with urgent, severe, or new medical conditions – acting as a bridge from the Emergency Department (A&E) or GP referral.
They aim to stabilise patients, either for discharge or transfer to a specialist ward – handling a wide variety of illnesses including heart or respiratory conditions, infections, or metabolic disturbances.
It is an alternative name for Medical Admission Unit (MAU) and Medical Decisions Unit (MDU).
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