Emergency Triage Training

Emergency triage training can mean the difference between life and death for patients with a critical condition. Triage is the management of patients into priority groups depending on their condition and the resources available. According to the World Health Organization, many deaths occur within 24 hours of admission to a hospital because they have to wait a long time before they are seen by a health care professional. Emergency triage training is used to teach first responders and medical staff to check for emergency signs and prioritize the treatment of the critically ill.

History

• The use of triage as a method to sort patients depending on the seriousness of their injuries was developed by Dr. Larrey, a doctor in Napoleon's army when treating soldiers during the Napoleonic wars between France and Russia. Triage is now a basic part of emergency treatment and is used by health care professionals worldwide. Emergency triage training is provided to medical and emergency response units that provide a first response to emergencies and disasters where large groups of people require treatment.

Triage Categories

• Emergency triage training helps doctors, nurses and other health care professionals to divide patients into three main categories: emergency, priority and queue.
  Emergency patients show emergency signs and require immediate treatment. Priority patients show priority signs and should be given priority over general patients so their condition can be quickly assessed and treated. Queue patients do not show emergency or priority signs and can wait their turn to receive medical treatment.

  Different triage training methods are used based on this priority principle. For instance, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services provides a five-level emergency department triage algorithm to divide patients into five categories on the basis of the seriousness of the patient's condition and the resources available.

The ABCD concept

• Emergency triage training helps health care providers focus on the emergency signs a patient can display. These signs are called the ABCD of triage: airway, breathing, circulation, coma, convulsion and severe dehydration. Any problems in these areas qualify a patient as an emergency.

Who Needs Triage Emergency Training?

• According to the World Health Organization, all medical staff that care for patients should be trained to provide emergency triage training. This includes first aiders, paramedics, nurses and doctors. Nonmedical staff of hospitals and clinics like janitors, clerks and guards should also be trained in triage to identify emergency signs in patients that arrive at the medical center.

  Hospitals often employ a triage nurse or doctor who is trained to manage the flow of patients by applying triage principles: fast-tracking emergency cases and asking non-urgent patients to wait.

Training

• Various organizations provide emergency triage training for medical professionals and first aiders. Some of these courses, like the Emergency Nursing Triage course from the Emergency Nurses Association, can be taken online. The American Red Cross also provides a variety of courses that include triage techniques for different settings. Contact your closest hospital or fire department for details on triage courses available locally.