In mass casualty triage, which principle guides the ordering of treatment when resources are limited?

• A. Prioritize those with the most severe injuries first
• B. Prioritize those with the highest likelihood of survival
• C. Treat patients based on arrival time
• D. Disregard patients who cannot walk

Answer: (B)

In mass casualty triage, the aim is to save as many lives as possible when resources are scarce. The best approach is to prioritize patients who have the highest likelihood of survival with timely treatment. This focus on survivability ensures that limited resources produce the greatest overall benefit, rather than tying up care on people whose injuries are unlikely to be helped significantly by available interventions.

If we tried to treat the most severely injured first, we might spend precious time and resources on patients with a low chance of recovery, which could reduce the number of people who ultimately survive. Triage is not about who arrived first or about excluding those who can’t walk; arrival time isn’t the deciding factor, and walking wounded are typically given lower priority rather than ignored entirely.