Triage
The process of rapidly sorting patients by the severity and urgency of their conditions to prioritize who receives care first. It allocates limited resources effectively in emergency, disaster, and high-volume settings to maximize overall outcomes.
What is triage?
Triage is the process of rapidly sorting patients by the severity and urgency of their conditions so that those who need care most urgently receive it first. It is a structured way of prioritizing under pressure.
The practice is most associated with emergency departments, mass-casualty events, and disaster response, where demand can outstrip available staff and resources.
Why does triage matter?
Triage allocates limited resources to maximize overall outcomes, directing immediate attention to life-threatening conditions while safely deferring less urgent cases. This ordering can be the difference between life and death in high-volume situations.
While the formal concept centers on emergency care, the underlying logic of prioritizing by urgency also informs how any healthcare setting manages competing demands on its time and staff.
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