What is the primary concern during a multi-casualty incident?

The primary concern during a multi-casualty incident is effective triage and rapid patient management. In situations where multiple individuals are injured, the first step is to assess the severity of each patient's condition, allowing medical responders to prioritize care based on urgency. This triage process ensures that the most critical cases receive immediate attention while those with more minor injuries can be attended to later. Rapid patient management is also essential to stabilize patients and prevent further deterioration, particularly in emergencies where time is crucial for survival.

Providing follow-up care, meticulously documenting care, and gathering resources, while important in their own right, are secondary considerations that occur after the immediate need for triaging and treating patients has been addressed. The focus during the incident is on saving lives, which is best achieved through effective triage and management of resources in a chaotic environment.