In a mass casualty incident, what is the goal of triage?

In a mass casualty incident, the primary goal of triage is to do the greatest good for the greatest number. This principle is fundamental to emergency management and healthcare during situations where resources are limited and patient needs exceed available medical capabilities.

The rationale behind this approach is to prioritize patient care based on severity and the likelihood of survival. This means that those with treatable life-threatening conditions are addressed first, allowing healthcare providers to focus their efforts on patients who have the best chance of recovery.

In situations where healthcare resources, including personnel, equipment, and medications, are limited, triaging based on this principle allows for an effective allocation of efforts. This method helps to ensure that more lives can be saved overall, rather than allowing a scenario where less critical patients might occupy resources that could be used for more critical cases.

Additionally, while other aspects like worker safety and response times are indeed important in emergency scenarios, they do not surpass the necessity of maximizing patient outcomes in mass casualty situations. Ensuring that treatment focuses on those who will benefit most significantly is a cornerstone of effective triage practice.