|
Overview :
A patient during
a disaster may be "tagged" according to the injury severity identified at the
scene.
NOTE: See also
the Homebush triage standard, above.
Simple
Scheme
|
Injury
Severity |
Tag
Color |
|
minor
injuries; walking wounded |
green |
|
intermediate
injuries |
yellow |
|
critically
ill |
red |
More Complex
Scheme
|
Injury
Severity |
Tag
Color |
|
non-urgent |
blue |
|
minor
injuries; walking wounded |
green |
|
intermediate
injuries |
yellow |
|
serious
injuries requiring very urgent care |
orange |
|
life-threatening injuries requiring
immediate care |
red |
where:
• The term "toe tagging" may be used to
refer to a dead patient since a tag tied to the toe is used in a morgue for body
identification.
• There is also a scheme for tagging
buildings in a disaster. Red tag = structurally unsound with possible collapse
and no entry permitted; yellow tag = removal of critical items permitted; green
tag = sound structure with unrestricted entry
Green-tagged
patients may arrive at an emergency department early and on their own after a
mass casualty event, while red-tagged patients may require extrication,
stabilization and transport by emergency respondents. It is important to reserve
essential resources at nearby facilities for patients with more serious injuries
and to forward minor injuries to more distant care
stations.
| References: | |
House C. The Northridge earthquake.
International Facility Management Association.
www.ifma.org.
Kalemoglu M. The medical management of
bomb-blast scenes in the emergency department. Internet Journal of Rescue &
Disaster Medicine. www.ispub.com.
Code ijrdm. 2007; Volume 6 (1).
Manchester Triage Group. Emergency
Triage, Second Edition. Blackwell Publishing and BMJ.2006.
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