A community health nurse explains to first responders about triaging during a mass casualty incident. The nurse should explain that which of the following approaches should be followed during triage?

• A. First-come, first-served
• B. Utilitarian
• C. Egalitarian
• D. Random selection

Answer: (B)

In a mass casualty incident, the priority is to save the greatest number of lives with limited resources. This is why responders follow a utilitarian approach: triage decisions are guided by who is most likely to benefit from immediate care and by the potential total number of lives saved. It means directing interventions to those with the best chance of survival given the resources at hand, rather than treating people strictly by arrival time or evenly distributing care regardless of prognosis. First-come, first-served depends on who arrives first and can slow the response; treating everyone equally or choosing randomly ignores differences in survivability and can waste scarce resources. In practice, triage categories help identify those who need immediate intervention to survive and those whose needs can wait, ensuring that scarce life-saving efforts are used where they yield the most benefit.