From theory to practice in the applicability of prehospital multiple-casualty incident triage systems: a systematic review

Cuartas Álvarez T, Castro Delgado R, Arcos González P

Triage has a great effect on results in multiple-casualty incidents (MCIs), reducing

morbidity and mortality through the allocation and organization of health care

resources. Prehospital triage to organize care and evacuate casualties is a key theoretical

premise in emergency health care. To analyze the applicability of prehospital triage

recommendations for MCIs, we searched the literature using the search terms mass

casualty triage and prehospital triage in the PubMed database, the Cochrane Library, and

the journals Emergencias and Prehospital and Disaster Medicine. We also checked the

reference lists of all articles found. Of a total of 561 titles located, 19 met the inclusion

criteria. The articles offer little information on methods used for triage in MCIs and many

explicitly state that no triage system was used. There is inconsistency between the

theoretical approach to care applicable in MCIs and the reports of actual events, possibly

because it is difficult to obtain data at the scene of the incident, because caregiving

interferes with the application of theory, or because the theory itself is invalid.

Arcos González P, Castro Delgado R, Cuartas Álvarez T