Definition of Acute assessment unit

An Acute Assessment Unit, or Acute Admissions Unit, often abbreviated to AAU, is a short-stay department in a UK hospital which is sometimes part of the Emergency Department. The Acute Assessment Unit acts as a gateway between a patient's General Practitioner, the Emergency Department and the wards of the hospital. The AAU helps the Emergency Department produce a healthy turnaround for patients, helping with the four-hour waiting rule. An AAU is usually made up of several bays and has a small number of side-rooms and treatment rooms. They are fully equipped with emergency medical treatment facilities including defibrilators and resuscitation equipment.