Triage Tips

Triage is the process of assessing the condition of a number of patients then deciding in what order they will be seen by physicians. In an emergency, asking the right questions of a patient can save a life. This is not a task for someone who is new to the medical field, as subtle clues maybe overlooked.

Triage

• When someone walks into a hospital or clinic, the triage nurse is responsible for determining what is wrong and how serious that condition is. Patients with serious or life threatening conditions---someone having chest pains for example---should be seen right away. People with minor problems should be evaluated to determine how long they can wait and what order they should be seen in.

  Evaluate patients in a methodical, step-by-step process. Look to see if the patient is conscious. If not, he needs to be seen immediately. The next level of assessment is to look for trouble breathing or bleeding: can be life threatening. If either is present, evaluate to what degree and investigate the cause. Dripping blood can wait; flowing blood needs to be stopped and the patient should be seen immediately. Similarly someone who cannot catch her breath or has very shallow slow breaths needs immediate assistance.

  If none of the above symptoms are present, the patient is probably not critical, and you can ask for more information to evaluate the problem. Your questioning should ascertain what the chief complaint is, how all the other body systems are functioning, how long it has been going on, and if other issues may complicate the current problem. Often, people do not realize that one thing may be causing or contributing to another. For example, a patient on antibiotics for a tooth abscess may have back pain. The antibiotics may be effecting the kidneys but you can't make that determination with out a thorough history.

Quetions

• Getting an accurate history from a person is an important step in triage. Questioning people who are hurt and scared can often be challenging, especially if they don't think their medical history is important for a broken arm or similar obvious injury. Remain calm and assure them they will be seen, and that you are just trying to give them the best help possible. Separating patients from family members can help defuse the situation enough to get the information you need.