Advanced Trauma Life Support ATLS Student Course Manual 2018

Appendix F
TRIAGE SCENARIOS
OBJECTIVES
1. Define triage.
3. Apply the principles of triage to actual scenarios.
2. Explain the general principles of triage and the
factors that must be considered during the
triage process.
This is a self-assessment exercise, to be completed
before you arrive for the course. Please read
through the introductory information on the
following pages before reading the individual scenarios
and answering the related questions. This content is
presented in a group discussion format during the
course, and your active participation is expected. At
the end of this session, your instructor will review the
correct answers.
The goal of this exercise is to understand how to apply
trauma triage principles in multiple-patient scenarios.
Definition of Triage
Triage is the process of prioritizing patient treatment
during mass-casualty events.
Principles of Triage
The general principles of triage include:
••
Recognize that rescuer safety is the first
priority.
••
Do the most good for the most patients using
available resources.
••
Make timely decisions.
••
Prepare for triage to occur at multiple levels.
••
Know and understand the resources available.
••
Plan and rehearse responses with practice drills.
••
Determine triage category types in advance.
••
Triage is continuous at each level.
Safety Comes First
By rushing into a scene that is hazardous, responders
can risk creating even more casualties—themselves.
The goal of rescue is to rapidly extricate individuals
from the scene, and generating more injured persons
is certainly counterproductive. Triage should only
begin when providers will not be injured. Responders
must be aware of the possibility of a “second hit”
(e.g., further structural collapse, perpetrators, fires,
earthquake aftershocks, additional explosions, and
additional vehicle collisions). Some scenes may need
to be made safe by firemen, search and rescue teams, or
law enforcement before medical personnel can enter.
Do the Most Good for the Most
Patients Using Available Resources
The central, guiding principle underlying all other
triage principles, rules, and strategies is to do the
most good for the most patients, using available
resources. Multiple-casualty incidents, by definition,
do not exceed the resources available. Mass-casualty
events, however, do exceed available medical resources
and require triage; the care provider, site, system,
and/or facility is unable to manage the number of
casualties using standard methods. Standard of care
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