The START and JumpSTART MCI Triage Tools
The START and JumpSTART MCI Triage Tools
START
Simple Triage And Rapid Treatment
Developed jointly by Newport Beach (CA) Fire and Marine Dept. and Hoag Hospital
Gold standard for field adult multiple casualty (MCI) triage in the US and numerous countries around the world Utilizes the standard four triage categories
START Triage
RESPIRATIONS
NO Position Airway YES Under 30/min
PERFUSION
Over 30/min
Immediate Cap refill > 2 sec Cap refill < 2 sec.
NO Dead or Expectant
YES Immediate
Control Bleeding
Immediate Failure to follow simple commands Immediate
MENTAL STATUS
Can follow simple commands Delayed
START: Step 1
Triage officer announces that all patients that can walk should get up and walk to a designated area for eventual secondary triage. All ambulatory patients are initially tagged as Green.
START: Step 2
Triage officer assesses patients in the order in which they are encountered Assess for presence or absence of spontaneous respirations
START: Step 3
Assess respiratory rate If 30, proceed to Step 4 If 30, tag patient as Red
START: Step 4
Assess capillary refill If 2 seconds, move to Step 5 If 2 seconds, tag as Red
START: Step 5
Assess mental status
If able to obey commands, tag as Yellow If unable to obey commands, tag as Red
Mnemonic
R P M
30 2 Can do
Pediatric multicasualty triage may be affected by the emotional state of triage officers.
JumpSTART: Age
Initially ages 1-8 years chosen
BUT
Im 10!
JumpSTART: Age
The ages of tweens and teens can be hard to determine so the current recommendation is:
If a victim appears to be a child, use JumpSTART. If a victim appears to be a young adult, use START.
JumpSTART: Ambulatory
Identify and direct all ambulatory patients to designated Green area for secondary triage and treatment. Begin assessment of nonambulatory patients as you come to them.
JumpSTART: Breathing?
If breathing spontaneously, go on to the next step, assessing respiratory rate. If apneic or with very irregular breathing, open the airway using standard positioning techniques. If positioning results in resumption of spontaneous respirations, tag the patient immediate and move on.
JumpSTART:Perfusion
If no peripheral pulse is present (in the least injured limb), tag patient immediate and move on.
YELLOW if significant external signs of injury are found (ie. deep penetrating wounds, severe bleeding, severe burns, amputations, distended tender abdomen) GREEN if no significant external injury
Individuals with special health care needs may also be MCI victims!
Photo used with permission of the Emergency Education Council of Maryland Region 5.
Patients limitations in ambulation and communication and differentiation between acute and chronic neurological conditions are the main challenges in the triage of children with special needs and disabilities.
Photo used with permission of the Emergency Education Council of Maryland Region 5.
A bus carrying school children of various ages and their chaperones on a field trip loses control, slams into a median, then rolls. You are the triage officer.
A young school aged boy is found lying on the roadway 10 ft from the bus. Breathing 10/min Good distal pulse Groans to painful stimuli
A toddler lies with his lower body trapped under a seat inside the bus. Apneic Remains apneic with modified jaw thrust No pulse
A woman is carrying a crying infant. She is able to walk. RR 20 CR 2 sec Obeys commands
Toddler found outside the bus, lying on the ground in a heap. Apneic Remains apneic with jaw thrust Faint distal pulse palpable.
OR
A school aged girl lies among the wreckage. RR 40 Absent distal pulse Withdraws from painful stimulus
A youngster is up and walking around but is limping Alert, crying hysterically for his mother
An older school aged child is found sitting outside the bus. RR 28 Good distal pulse Groggy, confused and slowly follows commands but wont get up and walk.
Key Points
The physiology of adults and children differ; therefore different primary triage systems should be used Use JumpSTART for infants through older children Use START for young adults and older Primary triage is just the first look at an MCI victim, similar to the primary/initial survey/assessment