Triage Tags

Triage tags are used in all states of Australia during multiple victim situations, in which there are more victims than there are paramedics or resources to treat them.

The key concept here, is to provide the most amount of good to the greatest number of people. The triage tagging system acknowledges that it will not necessarily provide the best treatment for each victim, but ultimately, it will provide the most amount of help to the greatest amount of people.

Most states use a slightly different tag system and within each state, the Ambulance Service and the Hospitals should have a coinciding system (otherwise patients will be miss-categorized once they arrive at the various hospitals).

What are the tags?

Green – walking

White – unable to be helped

Red – critical, but potentially viable, requires most treatment

Orange – not too critical, but may deteriorate.

Remember, excluding white, all the other victims within all the other tag colours may change. This is a dynamic system, and it is possible for a patient who is walking to then continue to lose blood and become a red label. So make sure your green tag victims stay together so that they can let you know (as the paramedic) if someone is deteriorating. Likewise, a patient who starts out as red, may end up walking away. Keep assessing and reassessing.

Please make sure that you check your own state or country to determine what triage tag system you use.