Real-Life Decision Making
In many emergency wards, there are more people waiting to be treated than
doctors available to treat them. "Emergencies happen 24 hours a day," says
Linda Soon, administrative secretary of emergency medicine. "Doctors have
to be ready at all times."
In extreme cases, such as city-wide disasters, a doctor has to decide who
needs medical treatment first. The process of determining the order in which
a large number of injured or ill persons receive medical treatment, with priority
going to those with the most severe ailments and the strongest chances of
survival, is called the triage method.
An earthquake has struck your city, which was unprepared for the disaster.
People are flooding into the emergency ward. Unfortunately, many doctors are
unable to get to the hospital to help, and the hospital, damaged in the earthquake,
is unable to function properly. You will have to use the triage system to
decide who to help first.
Samantha has many bruises and surface cuts on her face. She also has a
sprained ankle. Ryan is bleeding profusely from a leg that appears to be broken.
He is fine other than this break. Didion is unconscious with massive wounds
to the head and the chest area. He is only registering a weak pulse and intermittent
breathing.
What do you do?