Treatment and transport priorities at the scene of a mass-casualty incident should be determined after:

• A. all the patients have been triaged.
• B. a physician arrives at the scene.
• C. area hospitals have been notified.
• D. the number of patients is known.

Answer: (A)

In a mass-casualty incident, triage is the on-scene tool used to quickly sort patients by how urgently they need care. By triaging all patients first, responders get an accurate picture of total casualties and how resources should be allocated. Once triage is complete, you can determine transport priorities—sending immediate transports to those with life-threatening injuries who can benefit from rapid care, while delaying others who can wait or can be treated on scene. If transport decisions are made before triage, it’s easy to misjudge severity and misallocate ambulances and staff, which can worsen outcomes for the most seriously injured. Hospital notification and knowing the number of patients are important parts of incident management, but they don’t by themselves establish the urgent transport priorities; those priorities come from the completed triage results.