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Triage Treatment

Triage is the practice of evaluating and categorizing sick or injured people into groups that represent the extent of their injuries and their need for immediate medical attention. Triage systems are used in hospital emergency rooms, military situations, epidemics and in natural or man-made disasters such as fires, earthquakes and hurricanes. There are various triage systems for classifying patient needs.

  1. Triage Nurse

    • Patients in triage must first be evaluated by a triage nurse or other attending medical personnel. It is the triage nurse's duty to give the patient a preliminary examination to determine the extent, if any, of the patient's heath emergency. An examination by a triage nurse will include an interview recording the patient's complaint and medical history, as well as the measuring of the patient's vital signs including heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure and temperature. This information will help the triage nurse determine the next step necessary for the patient's care.

    START System

    • One triage system used in health emergencies is the START system, which stands for Simple Triage And Rapid Treatment. The START system separates patients into four main categories: those who are dead or dying and are beyond any medical assistance, those with life threatening injuries who require immediate medical assistance or transportation, those whose injuries are not-life threatening for whom medical attention or transportation can be postponed and those who are suffering from minor injuries only. This system is typically implemented in disasters or mass casualty situations; the simplicity of the system makes it easy to use by even those with little medical training.

    Color Tags

    • Another triage system used in mass casualty or disaster situations uses colored tags. This system is more specialized than the START system and is typically used by nurses or others with extensive medical training. The system uses red, yellow, green, white and black colored tags for classification. Red tags represent those who will not survive without immediate medical attention. Yellow tags represent people who are presently in stable condition and require continued observation. Individuals with yellow tags still will require hospital care when facilities become available. Green tags are used for individuals with lesser injuries who will eventually need medical attention, but can wait until the red- and yellow-tagged patients have been treated. White tags are for patients with minor injuries who do not require a doctor's care. Black tags are for those who are deceased or dying, who cannot be helped with care available.

    Three- and Four-Level Systems

    • The three- and four-level systems are typically used in emergency room triage. The three-level system classifies patients as emergent, urgent an non-urgent.The four-level triage system designates patients into one of the following: life- threatening, emergent, urgent and non-urgent.

    Five-Level System

    • The five- level system has begun to replace the three- and four-level systems in recent years. Reports show an increasing number of hospital staffs find the five-level system provides personnel with a better analysis of patient needs. The five-level system classifies patients as the following: resuscitation, emergent, urgent, non-urgent and referred.

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