Triage

Triage is a method for determining the nature and urgency of an ailment as quickly and accurately as possible if direct treatment is not available at that time. When you triage as a doctor’s assistant at a general practice, you must be able to estimate how ill the patient is over the phone. You do not make a diagnosis but estimate how serious the situation is. During the triage conversation, you first determine whether the patient is ABCDE stable. You determine whether there is a direct danger to life and then go through a number of bodily functions step-by-step. You also ensure that personal details are clear at an early stage in case the phone is unexpectedly cut off.