triage

Triage is the process of prioritizing treatment or attention when resources are limited, with the aim of doing the greatest good for the greatest number. The word comes from the French trier, meaning to sort. The concept originated on the battlefield; Baron Dominique-Jean Larrey, a surgeon in Napoleon Bonaparte’s army, organized wounded soldiers by urgency to maximize survival. Since then, triage has become a core principle in emergency medicine, disaster response, and humanitarian aid, and is applied in civil, military, and veterinary contexts.

In medical and field settings, triage involves a rapid assessment to classify patients by the urgency of their need for care and their likelihood of benefit from treatment. Commonly, patients are grouped into categories such as those requiring immediate attention, those whose treatment can be delayed briefly, those with minor injuries, and, in some systems, those who are unlikely to survive despite treatment. Color-coded tagging systems are often used, with red for immediate, yellow for delayed, green for minor, and black for expectant or deceased. Triage is designed to be dynamic; reassessment and re-triage are integral as patients’ conditions evolve and resources change. Tools such as Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment (START) and other frameworks like SALT have been developed to standardize practice.

Beyond medicine, triage applies to any situation where demand exceeds capacity, including disaster management, public health, and resource allocation in emergencies. Ethical considerations emphasize fairness, avoidance of discrimination, and respect for patient autonomy where possible, while acknowledging the need to balance individual care with broader community outcomes. Limitations include the potential for misclassification and the fluid nature of emergencies, which require ongoing reassessment and adaptation.