triage

noun

tri·​age trē-ˈäzh  ˈtrē-ˌäzh 

1

a

: the sorting of and allocation of treatment to patients and especially battle and disaster victims according to a system of priorities designed to maximize the number of survivors

b

: the sorting of patients (as in an emergency room) according to the urgency of their need for care

2

: the assigning of priority order to projects on the basis of where funds and other resources can be best used, are most needed, or are most likely to achieve success

triage transitive verb

Examples of triage in a Sentence

Nurses do triage in the emergency room.

Recent Examples on the Web

For example, some companies, my own included, provide bots that learn and evolve to answer administrative lines for emergency call centers, as well as call triage and language translation solutions. —Amir Elichai, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024

Other relief efforts include airlifting food and water to areas isolated by flooding and road closures and loaning emergency field hospitals to serve as ER triage units. —Staff Author, Southern Living, 30 Sep. 2024

The first stop for patients would be a triage tent with eight beds, each of which has monitors and oxygen tanks. —Minyvonne Burke, NBC News, 4 Oct. 2024

By utilizing triage data to identify when psychiatric support is needed, the system automates consultations within minutes of a patient arriving in the emergency department. —Hessie Jones, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French, sorting, sifting, from trier to sort, from Old French — more at try entry 1

First Known Use

1918, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Medical Definition

triage

noun

tri·​age trē-ˈäzh  ˈtrē-ˌ 

1

: the sorting of and allocation of treatment to patients and especially battle and disaster victims according to a system of priorities designed to maximize the number of survivors

2

: the sorting of patients (as in an emergency room) according to the urgency of their need for care

triage transitive verb