Incident triage involves responding to a situation where:

Incident triage is a vital process in emergency management and disaster response, particularly in situations where the demand for medical services exceeds the available resources. When the number of patients exceeds the typical load, it necessitates a systematic approach to prioritize care based on the severity of their conditions and the resources at hand. This ensures that those who are most in need of immediate medical attention receive care promptly, thereby optimizing outcomes in a scenario where the healthcare system is overwhelmed.

In situations where the emergency department can manage all patients, there is no need for triage since the resources are sufficient to handle the demand. Similarly, if no resources are available for treatment, triage may not be relevant, as there would be no capability to provide care regardless of patient severity. Finally, while prioritizing critical patients is a component of triage, it does not encompass the entire concept of incident triage, which must also account for the larger context of patient volume and resource availability. Triage is fundamentally about managing and allocating resources effectively during high-demand situations, making the response to an excessive number of patients essential.