Veralltäglichung der triage

Abstract

This article deals with a problem that is perceived as extremely burdensome by all those having to deal with it: the necessity of-selecting the recipients of lifesaving medical resources that are not sufficiently available to meet the demand, so that some of the potential beneficiaries must be left to die. Against the background of discussions about increasing pressures on the health care system to ration ressources, it is argued that this problem, known as that of "triage" in military and disaster medicine and believed to arise only in rare instances of sudden catastrophes, is now becoming an everyday phenomenon in various areas within the medical sector. However, very little is known about how it is "resolved" in practice. This paper discusses three examples of everyday triage and reconstructs the logic and premises underlying the decision behavior of those responsible in the respective areas.