In our daily life, emergency situations occur frequently. Places and settings including emergency rooms, intensive care units (ICUs), multi-casualty incidents (for instance car crashes) and mass casualty incidents (including fire outbreak and natural disasters) can all fall under the umbrella of emergency situations [Hoppes 2011]. These circumstances often involve immediate risks to health, life, property, or environment. In most cases, emergencies require urgent intervention to prevent a worsening of the situation, while facing the contradiction between scarce resources and the abundant need for treatment. Triage is a mechanistic system designed to balance the mismatch of need and resources and it is the best and most effective choice for
…show more content…
This leading principle of maximizing the number of survivor behind the operation of disaster triage exemplifies the bioethical concept of utilitarianism. The utilitarian approach of bioethics states that decisions are made in order to bring the greatest amount of benefit to the greatest number of people [Mandal et al. 2016]. Under mass casualty incidents, the triage system prioritizes the most severely injured patients with the greatest chance of survival. Thus, we can validate the intention of disaster triage as maximizing the possible benefit and spread the good to the greatest amount of people by granting them the chance of survival under calamitous circumstances. This operational idea illustrates the principle of beneficence by trying the best to prevent harm, provide benefits and balance benefits against risks and costs [Beauchamp & Childress 2008]. With limited resources, disaster triage often leads to the decision of sacrificing the ones that are more seriously injured but have a lower chance of survival [Edgerly 2016]. Operating under such mechanisms can ensure to make full use of limited medical resources in order to achieve the maximum benefit. As we can see, the main idea of disaster triage is not saving everyone right away; instead it is hoping to prioritize the patients who are likely to gain the most benefit from the limited treatment resources and trying to spread the greatest benefits to the most people
This leading principle of maximizing the number of survivor behind the operation of disaster triage exemplifies the bioethical concept of utilitarianism. The utilitarian approach of bioethics states that decisions are made in order to bring the greatest amount of benefit to the greatest number of people [Mandal et al. 2016]. Under mass casualty incidents, the triage system prioritizes the most severely injured patients with the greatest chance of survival. Thus, we can validate the intention of disaster triage as maximizing the possible benefit and spread the good to the greatest amount of people by granting them the chance of survival under calamitous circumstances. This operational idea illustrates the principle of beneficence by trying the best to prevent harm, provide benefits and balance benefits against risks and costs [Beauchamp & Childress 2008]. With limited resources, disaster triage often leads to the decision of sacrificing the ones that are more seriously injured but have a lower chance of survival [Edgerly 2016]. Operating under such mechanisms can ensure to make full use of limited medical resources in order to achieve the maximum benefit. As we can see, the main idea of disaster triage is not saving everyone right away; instead it is hoping to prioritize the patients who are likely to gain the most benefit from the limited treatment resources and trying to spread the greatest benefits to the most people