START triage Flashcards
What does START stand for?
Simple Triage And Rapid Treatment
Who developed the START triage method?
Staff members at Hoag Memorial Hospital, Newport Beach, CA
What is the primary purpose of the START triage method?
To rapidly categorize patients at a mass casualty incident (MCI)
What are the four main assessments in the START triage method?
- Ability to walk
- Respiratory status
- Hemodynamic status (pulse)
- Neurologic status
What is the first step of the START triage system?
Call out to patients and direct ambulatory patients to a landmark
Why should a landmark be chosen away from the ambulance during START triage?
To avoid hindering the ability to properly triage all patients
What color priority are the walking wounded categorized as in START triage?
Minimal (green) priority, or third-priority patients
What should you do if a nonambulatory patient is not breathing?
Open the airway using a simple manual maneuver
What does it mean if a patient does not begin to breathe after airway intervention?
The patient is triaged as expectant (black)
If a nonambulatory patient begins to breathe, what is their triage color?
Immediate (red)
What is the threshold for respiratory rate that classifies a patient as immediate priority (red)?
Breathing faster than 30 breaths/min or slower than 10 breaths/min
What does an absent radial pulse indicate about a patient’s hemodynamic status?
The patient is likely hypotensive; tag as immediate priority
What is assessed to determine a patient’s neurologic status in START triage?
The ability to follow simple commands
What is the triage category for a patient who cannot follow simple commands?
Immediate priority patient
What is the triage category for a patient who complies with a simple command?
Delayed category (yellow)
Fill in the blank: The START triage method is easily mastered with _______.
[practice]
