EMS Evacuation Triage

Excerpt

Triage is the sorting and categorizing of patients based on clinical severity to maximize the results for most patients when limited resources are available. It is a tried and true method used in multiple scenarios in multiple practice environments worldwide. Most are familiar with the triage process upon initial arrival of patients to a medical facility or upon arrival at the scene when there are multiple casualties. Triage in these situations involves using the START method or similar clinically based tool tailored to the individual practice environment, such as emergency departments, and refined during training events, as discussed in separate topics. Triage, however, does not stop after the first iteration. It must be continually used and reevaluated during any transition of care or when resources or situations change.

Patients who arrive at a treatment area undergo triage, as discussed above. This topic covers the triage process before moving patients out from 1 area of care to another. This is done to prioritize which patients are to be moved first and determine by what means they are transported based on available resources, patients' acuity, and treatments or monitoring needed en route; hence, the term "evacuation triage."