A bus crash has brought multiple injured people to a rural clinic. Using START triage, how should the nurse categorize this victim: a 52-year-old with a deep forearm laceration and active bleeding controlled with direct pressure, respirations 20/min, capillary refill 2 seconds, able to follow commands and walk with assistance?
- Green tag (minor)
- Yellow tag (delayed) (correct answer)
- Red tag (immediate)
- Black tag (expectant/deceased)
Explanation: This question tests disaster triage and mass casualty principles. The triage framework used is the START (Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment) system. The correct answer B reflects the most appropriate triage decision because the victim cannot walk independently, has a deep laceration requiring bleeding control, but has stable respiratory rate, perfusion, and mental status, classifying as delayed (yellow tag). The distractors are less appropriate: A (green) is for walking wounded with minor injuries; C (red) is for immediate threats like abnormal vital signs; D (black) is for non-salvageable victims. In triage prioritization, yellow-tag victims receive care after reds but before greens to optimize outcomes. Decision-making principles involve balancing injury severity with resource availability in overwhelmed settings. A transferable strategy for triage in mass casualty events is to control life-threatening bleeding immediately in yellow or red victims before moving on.