Final answer:
The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) defines an emergency as a medical condition with acute symptoms that require immediate medical attention to prevent serious harm.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) is a federal law in the United States that requires hospitals to provide medical screening examinations and necessary stabilizing treatment to individuals who present to the emergency department. EMTALA defines an emergency as a medical condition that manifests acute symptoms of sufficient severity, including severe pain, such that the absence of immediate medical attention could result in serious impairment of bodily functions or serious dysfunction of any bodily organ or part.
For example, if someone comes to the emergency department with severe chest pain, they would be considered to have an emergency under EMTALA because the condition could be a heart attack, which requires immediate medical attention to prevent serious harm.