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Unwell child triage — DipIMC MCQ

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HardPaediatric and Obstetric EmergenciesUnwell child triageDipIMC

At a mass-casualty incident, a 3-year-old cannot walk and has severe ongoing limb haemorrhage. Using the Ten Second Triage tool, what priority and immediate action apply?

Educational content. Not a substitute for clinical judgement or local policy.

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Correct answer: B — Control bleeding with pressure, packing or tourniquet and assign P1

The best answer is “Control bleeding with pressure, packing or tourniquet and assign P1”. The current NHS Ten Second Triage tool applies to adults and children. Severe bleeding triggers an immediate lifesaving intervention using pressure, packing or a tourniquet and categorisation as P1. It does not require the obsolete paediatric tape, respiratory-rate threshold or capillary-refill calculation. Inability to walk alone can produce P2, but severe bleeding determines the higher priority here.

Reference: NHS England, Ten Second Triage tool: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/ten-second-triage-tool/