Triage Protocol

Category: lifestyle

A standardized medical system used to prioritize patient treatment based on the urgency and severity of their condition.

Triage protocols, such as the Emergency Severity Index (ESI), categorize arrivals into acuity levels. This ensures that life-threatening cases—like acute cardiac arrest or respiratory failure—receive immediate resources, while non-emergent cases (like minor sprains) are wait-listed for secondary intake.

Common Examples

• The emergency department implemented a new triage protocol to reduce the wait-time baseline for stroke and trauma patient arrivals.
• Effective triage protocol relies on rapid, high-accuracy assessment of vitals during the critical initial intake phase.