Triage

Synonyms

Mass casualty incident; Prioritization; Resource allocation; Situational awareness; Sort; Stratification

Definition

Triage is the act of prioritizing delivery of patient care based on available resources, patient need, and anticipated benefit.

Triage is a dynamic process and occurs within each level of care and in transition of care tiers (please see the Mass Casualty Incident section for further details). This process occurs through prehospital, emergency department, operating theater, general and intensive care units. The overarching goal of triage, in the absence of a mass casualty scenario, is to provide the “greatest good for the patient” based on an assessment of the patient’s physiology, anatomy of injury, mechanistic indicators, and available resources (Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient 2006). During a mass casualty incident, the process of triage evolves from a patient- to population-based care model where the greatest good for the greatest number is...