How Triage Works

# Stuff You Should Know Episode Summary

This episode dives into the fascinating history and modern practice of triage—the system for quickly sorting and prioritizing patients based on the severity of their injuries or illnesses. Starting from its origins on Napoleonic battlefields with French surgeon Baron Dominique Jean Larrey, the hosts trace how triage evolved from considering only social status to focusing on injury severity, then efficiency in saving the most lives. The conversation covers everything from battlefield protocols and the clever MET tags invented for disaster response to how triage works in modern emergency rooms, complete with color-coded systems (and yes, there's debate about whether those colors should be standardized!). You'll learn why sometimes the sickest patient doesn't get seen first and discover some clever innovations hospitals are using to reduce wait times and improve the whole chaotic ER experience.