In START triage, which factor is assessed to determine category?

In START triage, which factor is assessed to determine category?

• A. Respiration only.
• B. Perfusion only.
• C. Respiration, perfusion, and mental status.
• D. Time since injury and age.

Answer: (C)

In START triage, you quickly categorize a patient based on three quick checks that reflect immediate life threats: respiration after opening the airway, perfusion (circulation), and mental status. These three factors determine how urgent the patient is, because they reveal whether the patient is sustaining enough oxygenation and blood flow and whether they can follow basic commands. If the patient isn’t breathing after you open the airway, or breathes at a very high rate (indicating distress), that’s an immediate red tag. If breathing is present but perfusion is poor (no pulse or delayed capillary refill), that’s another red tag. If both respiration and perfusion look okay, you assess mental status by asking the patient to follow simple commands; if they can’t, that’s red. If they can follow commands, you then consider mobility to split into yellow or green: green for those who can walk to safety, yellow for those who cannot walk but are otherwise stable. Time since injury and age aren’t used to assign categories in START.

In START triage, you quickly categorize a patient based on three quick checks that reflect immediate life threats: respiration after opening the airway, perfusion (circulation), and mental status. These three factors determine how urgent the patient is, because they reveal whether the patient is sustaining enough oxygenation and blood flow and whether they can follow basic commands. If the patient isn’t breathing after you open the airway, or breathes at a very high rate (indicating distress), that’s an immediate red tag. If breathing is present but perfusion is poor (no pulse or delayed capillary refill), that’s another red tag. If both respiration and perfusion look okay, you assess mental status by asking the patient to follow simple commands; if they can’t, that’s red. If they can follow commands, you then consider mobility to split into yellow or green: green for those who can walk to safety, yellow for those who cannot walk but are otherwise stable. Time since injury and age aren’t used to assign categories in START.