Respiratory rate triage — DipIMC MCQ

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ModerateScene Safety and GovernanceRespiratory rate triageDipIMC

At a major incident, an adult casualty is not walking, breathing at 26/min, responds to voice and has no catastrophic bleeding. What is the triage category?

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Correct answer: A — Priority 1 (red)

A non-walking adult with a respiratory rate outside the normal MITT range is P1. The response to voice does not negate abnormal respiratory physiology. P3 is reserved for walking casualties on initial triage. The pearl is that simple physiological thresholds improve consistency when the scene is noisy and pressured.

Reference: NHS England MITT 2023; JRCALC Guidelines 2025