Tagging Patients During a Disaster (Red Tag, Yellow Tag, Green Tag)

 

NOTE: See also the Homebush triage standard, above.

 

Simple Scheme

 

Injury Severity	Tag Color
minor injuries; walking wounded	green
intermediate injuries	yellow
critically ill	red

 

More Complex Scheme

 

Injury Severity	Tag Color
non-urgent	blue
minor injuries; walking wounded	green
intermediate injuries	yellow
serious injuries requiring very urgent care	orange
life-threatening injuries requiring immediate care	red

 

where:

• The term "toe tagging" may be used to refer to a dead patient since a tag tied to the toe is used in a morgue for body identification.

• There is also a scheme for tagging buildings in a disaster. Red tag = structurally unsound with possible collapse and no entry permitted; yellow tag = removal of critical items permitted; green tag = sound structure with unrestricted entry

 

Green-tagged patients may arrive at an emergency department early and on their own after a mass casualty event, while red-tagged patients may require extrication, stabilization and transport by emergency respondents. It is important to reserve essential resources at nearby facilities for patients with more serious injuries and to forward minor injuries to more distant care stations.