Triaging of patients

[CW Tan]

Hi teachers :

What does "triaging of patients" mean in the following snippet?


Our hospitals have already enhanced their infection control measures. For example, healthcare workers are already donning full personal protective equipment, especially in high risk areas such as the emergency department and intensive care unit. To reduce risk of exposure triaging of patients have also been introduced at emergency departments, polyclinics and outpatient clinics. Elective admissions have been reduced to increase hospital capacity.


Thank you very much in advance.

[Rusty]

Hi teachers :

What does "triaging of patients" mean in the following snippet?


Our hospitals have already enhanced their infection control measures. For example, healthcare workers are already donning full personal protective equipment, especially in high risk areas such as the emergency department and intensive care unit. To reduce risk of exposure triaging of patients have also been introduced at emergency departments, polyclinics and outpatient clinics. Elective admissions have been reduced to increase hospital capacity.


Thank you very much in advance.
1. A process for sorting injured people into groups based on their need for or likely benefit from immediate medical treatment.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/triage (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/triage)

[Marius Hancu]

Etymology: French, sorting, sifting, selecting, from trier to pick out, sift + -age

[OddThomas]

If you're interested in the grammar and punctuation of this sentence, try this improvement:To reduce risk of exposure, triaging of patients has also been introduced....

[Pete]

Etymology: French, sorting, sifting, selecting, from trier to pick out, sift + -age
This does seem to be the origin of this word's use in English. By a convenient coincidence, the "tri" stem also looks like a base for the number 3, so many people now associate "triage" with the process of sorting patients into 3 categories in emergency situations when there are too few resources to treat everyone:
- Those who are lightly enough injured that they can wait for treatment and still recover. {Don't treat them immediately.}
- Those who need immediate treatment and will benefit from it. {Treat them immediately.}
- Those who are so seriously injured that they will not survive even with treatment. {Don't treat them while there are people who will benefit more from treatment.}

The triage process is also used to help allocate scarce resources in non-medical situations.