Emergency medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of medical emergencies. Technically, it comprises the entire rescue chain, and is an interdisciplinary branch of medicine in which primarily internal medicine, surgery, and anaesthesia have found their way.
Rescue medicine is the particular term for the (preclinical) emergency medicine performed outside proper medical facilities. However, it cannot be separated technically or in substance from emergency medicine in the facility – normally a hospital.
In Germany, emergency medicine is the name of an additional medical training that comprises the identification of imminent or actual emergency situations, and the treatment of emergency cases, including the restoration and maintenance of acutely threatened vital functions".