The Color-Coded Triage Tags and the Trauma Scale

The classification of patients’ conditions is initially performed with the help of color-coded tags. This system includes four colors corresponding to one’s state: red, yellow, green, and black (“Disaster triage nursing (Color tagging & START method review),” 2020). They allow identifying the patients who are to be seen first and their injury types requiring treatment (“Disaster triage nursing (Color tagging & START method review),” 2020). Thus, the evaluation of trauma with the use of this scale is beneficial for nurse practitioners.

The most severe conditions in people are usually tagged as red, implying the need for immediate interventions. Their first priority in receiving care is explained by “the presence of life-threatening issues,” which can be lethal when neglected, and the time frame, in this case, is about one minute (“Disaster triage nursing (Color tagging & START method review),” 2020). It means “alteration in breathing and circulation” and the neuro system’s damage, which corresponds to “spinal cord injuries, severe bleeding, and burns” (“Disaster triage nursing (Color tagging & START method review),” 2020). The second color, yellow, indicates second priority, and care can be rendered within one hour (“Disaster triage nursing (Color tagging & START method review),” 2020). It is ascribed to individuals with bone fractures or open wounds, which do not prevent breathing.

The last two tags are green and black, and they do not require immediate measures. In the former’s case, the people can move without assistance, and their problems are limited to mild injuries, which can be treated any time later (“Disaster triage nursing (Color tagging & START method review),” 2020). In turn, the black tag indicates the lack of any signs of life or the impossibility to save individuals (“Disaster triage nursing (Color tagging & START method review),” 2020). It is used for the people who are dying when they have no chances for survival.

Reference

Disaster triage nursing (Color tagging & START method review). (2020). Registered Nurse. Web.