A train made up of railroad cars filled with toxic chemicals and a full school bus with 90 children on board collide in a populated area. A huge explosion occurs and a fire develops in a nearby factory. Which approach to care should be used to care for these victims?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Given the scale and severity of the incident, a disaster approach should be employed. Reverse triage should be used, meaning that those who are likely to survive with little to no medical intervention should be prioritized for treatment, allowing for scarce resources to be directed towards those with the highest need. Evacuating critically injured patients first may lead to more deaths overall, as those who are less severely injured may not receive the treatment they need in time. Similarly, evacuating all ambulatory patients first may leave behind those who are critically injured or trapped. Conventional triage may also not be sufficient in dealing with the number of victims, as it assumes that all patients can be successfully treated within a finite period of time.

A Train Made Up of Railroad Cars Filled with Toxic