The most critical patients are treated first.
Triage is the practice of sorting and assessing medical treatments based on severity for individuals who have been injured in battle, affected by disaster, or involved in any emergency accidental occurrence. The order of treatment of the patients is designated primarily to assist the critically injured patients first, and according to urgency.
Assess on Arrival
Once a patient arrives to the emergency treatment area, they are placed in line for processing, or are taken directly into a holding room dependent on the severity of the injury. The triage nurse then notes the patient's name, and performs identification verification, if possible. Patient check-in is an important part of the process, especially in emergency situations of war and of disaster status, to accurately record a list of the injured. Once checked in, if the patient is able to tell the nurse the cause and nature of the injury, the nurse collects information, and assesses the clinical urgency. This process generally takes between two and five minutes.
Take Vitals and Process Insurance Information
After the patient's injuries are recorded, the nurse measures vital signs prior to the patient being seen by the doctor. Although the nurse isn't providing a diagnosis, the nurse needs to take the patient's temperature, blood pressure, height and weight to accurately assist in determining the patient's treatment. In cases when it's not emergency disaster relief, the patient's insurance information is needed, if available, to bill the insurance company for the medical services provided, and to make sure that the patient has coverage.
Submitting Doctor's Orders
In a non-emergency situation, the nurse must submit treatment orders to the appropriate doctor for a patient to receive proper treatment. The doctor's order is a sheet detailing the information the nurse collected during the triage procedure. This assists the doctor is further treating the patient. If the situation is of urgency and the patient is in critical condition, the nurse briefs the doctor directly.
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