What is the primary purpose of triage during mass casualty incidents?

The primary purpose of triage during mass casualty incidents is to prioritize patient treatment based on injury severity. In these critical situations, numerous individuals may be injured, and medical resources can be limited. Triage allows first responders to assess each patient's condition quickly and determine who needs immediate attention versus those who can wait for treatment. This systematic approach maximizes the number of survivors by ensuring that those with the most severe life-threatening injuries receive the necessary medical care as soon as possible.

While collecting demographic information, identifying responsible parties, and documenting incidents are important considerations in emergency management and healthcare, they are secondary to the immediate goal of triage, which is to save lives by efficiently allocating medical resources based on urgency.