Wednesday 16 July 2014

How Triage Kits Help Save Lives In An Emergency

By Eric Holm


Triage is defined as the act of prioritizing patient according to the severity of their injuries. The idea behind a triage system is that it allows the medical personnel to treat as many patients as possible in situations where treating them is difficult due to situation, terrain, or shortage of medical personnel. Triage kits and their use are an essential part of the success of any triage operation. You will want to obtain a basic triage kit to set up your operation.

This particular type of disaster kit will contain many of the familiar emergency supplies that will be needed to treat most minor injuries plus some specialized equipment that is useful when sorting through multiple patients. Victims are sorted into groups signifying the severity of injuries. Those people with minor injuries can wait awhile for treatment. People tagged as delayed need treatment at a medical facility but transport can be delayed. Immediate cases need transportation to the hospital as soon as possible. Victims who are deceased need to be packed in body bags and transported to the morgue. Disaster supplies in the kit will include safety vests to designate safety workers and colored tape to identify patient status. A manual will be included with these medical first aid kits for guidance during an emergency operation.

Manuals explaining how to do CPR and provide treatment for a range of minor injuries should also be included in this type of first aid kit. One or two portable stretchers will be necessary if there are people with serious injuries that need to be carried away from the disaster scene.

When a terrible accident or natural disaster occurs, it always pays to be well prepared. Having the proper first aid supplies, like solar blankets and other emergency equipment, can mean the difference between life and death if your community is faced with an emergency.

In most cases of natural disaster situations such as earthquakes, non medical personal will find themselves involved in a type of triage known as S.T.A.R.T. which stands for simple triage and rapid treatment. This is simply designed to identify the injuries quickly and get the most seriously injured to hospitals for full care as soon as possible. That's why it is important for professional first responders and all volunteers to know the ins and outs of triage kits and their uses.




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