Details

SHORT NOTES ON TRIAGE

Triage

Definition: Triage is the process of prioritizing which patients should be treated first based on the severity of illness or injury when medical resources are limited.

Principles of triage:

• It is a method of grouping injured people based on how quickly they need medical treatment or how much they can benefit from immediate care.

• Triage is used in hospital emergency rooms, battlefields, and disaster areas where medical help and resources are limited.

• 75-85% of deaths happen in the first 20 minutes, so fast sorting and treatment are very important.

Tree types of triage

1. MASS triage - divides patients into triage categories based on their ability to move

2. S.T.A.R.T. triage - determines the severity of injuries

3. ADVANCED triage - more fully assess injury priorities

MASS Triage (Move, Assess, Sort, Send )

Move: "Everyone who can hear me and needs medical attention, please move to a designated area now!" (Green) Minimal or ambulatory.

Assess: Non-ambulatory “Everyone who can raise an arm or leg.” Doing the most good for the most victims.

Sort: Proceed immediately to remaining victims. Re- assess!

Send:

The Four Colors of Triage

MINOR delayed care / can delay up to three hours

DELAYED urgent care / can delay up to one hour

IMMEDIATE immediate care / life-threatening

DEAD victim is dead / no care required