According to the disaster triage tag system, which client should be treated first?

In the disaster triage tag system, clients are categorized based on the severity of their injuries to determine the order in which they should receive treatment. Class I consists of clients who are critically injured but are still likely to survive if they receive immediate medical attention. They typically exhibit life-threatening conditions that require urgent interventions.

Therefore, treating clients belonging to Class I first is imperative because they cannot wait for treatment without significantly increasing the risk of mortality. This prioritization is crucial in mass casualty situations, where resources are limited and the goal is to save the maximum number of lives. Class II clients may have serious injuries that require care but are not immediately life-threatening, Class III clients are the walking wounded with less severe injuries, and Class IV clients are considered to be expectant, meaning their injuries are so severe that they are unlikely to survive even with treatment. Thus, timely intervention for Class I clients is essential to improve survival outcomes in catastrophic scenarios.