Which should be seen first?

[g61j]

Question: Two pts come into the ER, which pt needs to be seen first: Pt complaining of SOB or pt complaining of severe chest pain. I'm preparing for an interview and thought of this question. I know I need to think of ABC's so i'm leaning towards choosing the patient with SOB. thanks!

[mwboswell]

It's always A,B,C,D priority....

THEN after finding out what letter corresponds to your pt's problem, you decide if it is a "potential" or "active" abnormality.

THEN if it is an "active" problem is it IMMEDIATE, URGENT or DELAYED

So your HIGHEST possible triage would be

"Active" airway obstruction,

LOWEST would be "potential" concussion ("D" for neuro)

Another way to look at it would be:

An ACTIVE-IMMEDIATE Circulation ("C") problem (no pulse)is a higher priority than a POTENTIAL-URGENT Airway problem (epiglottitis child)

The ENA ENPC course teaches a pretty critical/analysis "triage" type skill station. I find I have to break it down simple like this to students when we teach it.

Hope this helps!

[nursemeow]

ahhh the art of triage!!! On a test...yes, the SOB..... but in reality, just assess.....quickly... sob with stable vs and sao2.... vs.... CP holding chest diaphoretic..... U better grab the CP and EKG stat.... SHIZ can hit the fan and the snap of a finger.... Listen to your gut!!! Good luck!

[mmutk, BSN, RN, EMT-I]

If that's all the information I was given. I would chose the SOB for the room first. They are both level 2s. They are both vague complaints as given by you.

ABC: Sob (just my opinion)