What is the START triage system used for?

• A. Routine outpatient triage
• B. Financial triage for hospital admissions
• C. A rapid triage approach for mass casualty incidents that categorizes patients by severity: Simple/Minor, Expectant, Immediate, Delayed
• D. Pediatric triage only

Answer: (C)

In mass casualty situations you need a fast, scalable way to decide who needs care first. START triage provides that by quickly sorting people into four categories based on how urgently they need life-saving help: Simple/Minor, Expectant, Immediate, and Delayed. The process focuses on rapid checks—whether the person can breathe after a quick airway opening, whether they have a pulse or good perfusion, and whether they can follow simple commands. This lets responders identify those who need immediate intervention, those who can wait a bit, those with minor injuries, and those who are unlikely to survive given the available resources. It isn’t routine outpatient triage, isn’t about financial decisions for hospital admissions, and isn’t limited to children.