Triage

Triage is a term derived from the French language, meaning a process of selecting or prioritizing. For emergency situations involving horses, triage is a process of prioritizing patients’ medical needs based on the severity of their condition and the underlying life-threatening nature of their situation. Emergency treatment requires rapid diagnostic skills and experience to interpret presenting clinical signs in face of the care-giver’s frantic appeal for veterinary intervention.

There are three levels of triage:

1. Obvious Emergency
2. Strong Potential for Emergency
3. Non-Emergency Triage