The nurse working in a disaster area assesses an adult client who has partial-thickness burns on the lower legs, or approximately 10% of the lower body. Which color of triage tag should the nurse place on this client?

The nurse working in a disaster area assesses an adult client who has partial-thickness burns on the lower legs, or approximately 10% of the lower body. Which color of triage tag should the nurse place on this client?

• A. Black.
• B. Yellow.
• C. Red.
• D. Green.

Answer: (B)

In disaster triage, color tags show how urgently a patient needs care: red means immediate life-saving intervention, yellow means the patient can wait for care (delayed), green is minor injuries that can wait even longer, and black is for deceased or unsalvageable cases. An adult with partial-thickness burns on about 10% of the body has injuries that are significant but not immediately life-threatening—airway, breathing, and circulation are typically stable, and they don’t require urgent interventions to save the patient’s life right now. So they fit the delayed category, which is the yellow tag. If there were airway compromise or rapidly expanding burns, red would apply; if the injuries were truly minor, green; and black would be used only if the patient were dead or not salvageable.

In disaster triage, color tags show how urgently a patient needs care: red means immediate life-saving intervention, yellow means the patient can wait for care (delayed), green is minor injuries that can wait even longer, and black is for deceased or unsalvageable cases. An adult with partial-thickness burns on about 10% of the body has injuries that are significant but not immediately life-threatening—airway, breathing, and circulation are typically stable, and they don’t require urgent interventions to save the patient’s life right now. So they fit the delayed category, which is the yellow tag. If there were airway compromise or rapidly expanding burns, red would apply; if the injuries were truly minor, green; and black would be used only if the patient were dead or not salvageable.