Triage is a term referring to the process of assessing the medical needs of a new patient. During triage a patient's needs and concerns are evaluated and patients are prioritized based on the severity of their need for treatment.
Assessment
Depending on the severity of the injuries and the number of people requiring triage, the person responsible for assessing the patient (usually a triage nurse) will gather as much relevant information about the patient as possible. This will include the patient's complaints, basic vital signs and other information, a medical history and any drugs that the person may be taking. Once the patient's needs have been evaluated the patient will be referred to the next step in his treatment.
Prioritization
Triage is used as a method of prioritizing patients. If a patient presents at triage with an urgent problem, she will be treated before the patients that have needs that are less urgent. In situations where there are large numbers of patients seeking treatment, this may mean that people with minor ailments will be forced to wait while people with more urgent conditions receive treatment.
Long Distance Triage
While it is preferable for patients to be evaluated in person so that the person responsible for evaluating the patient can see the patient and evaluate his needs visually as well as verbally, it is sometimes necessary for patients to be triaged via phone or other means. During this process it is important for both the patient and the triage nurse to be sure to provide clear information regarding symptoms and concerns.
Tags: patient needs, people with, person responsible, that person, triage nurse