triage

Everyday

1. Triage is deciding the order in which sick or injured people are treated, based on who needs help most urgently, as in a hospital emergency department or after a disaster. tree →
2. (general) Triage means sorting any problems or jobs into order of importance so the most urgent are dealt with first. tree →
3. (verb) To triage means to sort patients or jobs in this way. tree →

In the lessons

In health and first-aid lessons, triage explains why, in A and E, a badly hurt person is seen before someone who arrived earlier with a small cut: it is fair because it is about need. In everyday and work life, teachers, IT helpers and parents also "triage" jobs. Phrases: "triage nurse", "in triage", "triage system".

Examples

• At A and E, a triage nurse checked how ill I was. tree →
• Triage means the most urgent patients are seen first. tree →
• After the earthquake, doctors set up triage tents. tree →
• Someone with a broken leg may wait while a heart attack patient is treated; that's triage. tree →
• The help desk triaged all the computer problems. tree →
• Mum triaged the chores: dinner first, washing later. tree →
• The paramedics did triage at the scene of the crash. tree →

Note

Uncountable noun; verb is regular: triaged. From French "trier" (to sort). Pronounced "TREE-ahzh". Being seen later in triage does not mean you are not important; it means others are in more danger.