[The Berlin mass casualty hospital triage algorithm : Development, implementation and influence on exercise-based triage results].

Abstract

Patient triage has a key function within the scope of the successful management of mass disasters and ensures the correct resource allocation. Analysis of unheralded hospital disaster training in Berlin hospitals revealed triage problems referring the correct classification of patients in the triage categories and relevant overtriaging and undertriaging. Therefore, a triage algorithm tailored to the clinical setting was developed in Berlin and after presentation and discussion within the circle of the representatives for clinical catastrophe protection, the algorithm was introduced as obligatory in 2015. This study was carried out to validate and investigate the effects of the triage algorithm.