Aplicabilidad de los sistemas de triaje prehospitalarios en los incidentes con múltiples víctimas: de la teoría a la práctica

Abstract

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.