Expectant triage under resource scarcity — DipIMC MCQ

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HardMajor Incident ManagementExpectant triage under resource scarcityDipIMC

After an explosion, one adult has devastating head injury with agonal respirations and no radial pulse. Multiple other salvageable Priority 1 casualties are awaiting immediate intervention. What is the triage category?

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Reveal the answer and explanation

Correct answer: C — Expectant

Expectant is the best answer because expectant triage may be used when survival is very unlikely and resources must be directed to salvageable casualties. Priority 2 is less appropriate because Priority 2 indicates urgent care after immediate casualties are managed; Untriaged is less appropriate because leaving the casualty untriaged undermines casualty flow and command. Dead and Priority 3 are also suboptimal because they move attention away from the key pre-hospital priority.. The key DipIMC principle is to treat immediate reversible threats, communicate clearly and move the patient toward the right definitive care.

Reference: MIMMS Major Incident Medical Management and Support; NHS England Major Incident Triage Tool