Triage Theo — Disaster Triage & Prioritization
In a mass casualty event, the sickest client doesn't always go first — resources go where they can save the most lives
Twelve casualties arrive within ten minutes of a highway pileup, and Theo has one physician, two nurses and a single trauma bay. He has seconds to sort who gets seen first.
Theo is the charge nurse when a multi-vehicle crash sends a wave of casualties to a small emergency department at once. Disaster triage flips everyday priority thinking: instead of treating whoever is sickest first, the goal is doing the greatest good for the greatest number, so victims are sorted into color-coded categories using rapid criteria such as the ability to walk, breathe and follow commands. Clients unlikely to survive even with maximal intervention are tagged black (expectant), a decision that feels wrong until you understand the math of scarce resources.
Read Triage Theo's full story →The story arc
The setup
A multi-vehicle crash overwhelms Theo's rural emergency department with a dozen casualties and minimal staff to match.
The turn
Theo quickly assesses each victim's ability to walk, respiratory rate, capillary refill and ability to follow simple commands.
The crisis
One victim has agonal, gasping respirations with no palpable pulse and unresponsive pupils despite airway repositioning, while another has a threatened airway but is still breathing and responsive to pain.
The save
Theo tags the walking wounded green, sends the unresponsive non-breathing victim to black after one airway repositioning attempt fails, tags the victim with the threatened airway red for immediate treatment, and directs staff to reassess yellow-tagged victims frequently as resources free up.
NCLEX study section — Disaster Triage & Prioritization
What this chapter is testing: the recognition cues, the numbers and the priority action.
Study section: Safety & Infection Control
Take this chapter into practice questions on the same topic.