5 Codes in the ugd emergency department to determine patient priority

Maybe you have experienced this inconvenient hospital incident: You went to the emergency room to get help as soon as possible, but the doctor on duty gave priority to other patients who just came after you to be treated. However, don't rush into feeling neglected and immediately protest “Why, how come you're playing barging in? I was the first to register!"

Sometimes, doctors and the team are required to prioritize patients whose conditions are more serious than you. This is a normal procedure in the medical world because every ER must adhere to a medical emergency triage system.

Why are there some patients who need medical help?

In the ER, a medical emergency triage system is used to determine which patients should be treated first compared to other patients. The initial concept of emergency triage was to divide patients into 3 categories, viz immediate, urgent , and non-urgent. The concept that was first created for a war situation is still valid for use in modern times, and is used in various countries such as Britain, the Netherlands, Sweden, India, Australia, and NATO military organizations.

The medical triage system will evaluate and categorize patients who are sick or have experienced trauma when their health resources are not proportional to the number of patients currently present. This system will be very useful in conditions such as natural disasters with a very large number of victims, or when at the same time, for whatever reason, a hospital emergency room is flooded with large numbers of patients.

How do doctors sort emergency patients using the medical triage system?

The medical triage system sorts patients based on the patient's condition when they enter the treatment room and provides a color code for patients, ranging from red, yellow, green, white and black. What do these colors mean?

1. Red: Red color code is given to patients who if not given treatment quickly, the patient will definitely die, provided that the patient still has the possibility to live. Examples include patients with respiratory problems, head trauma with unequal pupil size, and heavy bleeding.
2. Yellow: The yellow color code is given to patients who require immediate treatment, but can still be postponed because they are still in a stable condition. Patients with a yellow code still require hospitalization and in normal conditions will be treated immediately. Examples include patients with multiple fractures, hip or thigh fractures, extensive burns, and head trauma.
3. Green: Green color code assigned to those who require treatment but can still be delayed. Usually injured patients who are conscious and able to walk fall into this category. When another patient who is in an emergency condition has been treated, the patient with the green color code will be treated. Examples include patients with minor fractures, minimal burns, or minor injuries.
4. White: The white color code is given to patients with minimal injuries for which no medical treatment is required.
5. Black: A black code is given to patients who after examination show no signs of life. For example, those who are still alive, but are injured so badly that even if they are treated immediately, the patient will still die.

However, this medical emergency triage system is not rigid. If the patient with code red has received the first treatment and the condition is more stable, the patient code can be changed to yellow. Conversely, patients with a yellow code whose condition suddenly gets worse may have their code changed to red.