How should responders prioritize patients in a mass casualty incident?

In a mass casualty incident, the primary goal is to efficiently manage and treat a large number of patients, often in chaotic conditions. The correct approach is to use a triage system to evaluate and categorize injuries. This system allows responders to quickly identify the severity of injuries and assign priority for treatment based on the urgency of medical need.

Using the triage system is crucial because it enables responders to focus on those who may not survive without immediate intervention while also managing the care of those with less critical injuries. This process ensures that resources are allocated effectively, maximizing the chances of survival for the greatest number of patients. The triage categories typically include those who need immediate medical help, those who can wait, and those whose injuries are so severe that they are unlikely to survive even with treatment.

Other methods, such as assessing health insurance status or prioritizing by the order in which patients arrive, do not consider the medical urgency of their conditions and can lead to suboptimal outcomes. A chronological timeline of events does not address the immediate medical needs of the patients and is not practical in a situation where response times and severity of injury vary widely. Therefore, employing the triage system is essential for effective patient prioritization in emergencies involving mass casualties.