Trauma Triage Decision Tool (CDC)
Trauma Triage Decision Tool (CDC) - a deterministic tool in Sophie Well's EMS & Field Medicine group.
Open the Trauma Triage Decision Tool (CDC) → Runs in your browser. No signup, no tracking.
What this is
Step a single injured patient through the CDC National Guidelines for the Field Triage of Injured Patients - the four-step decision scheme that EMS uses to decide whether to transport to a Level I or II trauma center, a Level III/IV center, or the nearest appropriate facility. The four steps in order: physiologic criteria (GCS, SBP, respiratory rate), anatomic criteria (penetrating injuries proximal to elbow/knee, flail chest, pelvic fracture, paralysis, etc.), mechanism criteria (fall height, vehicle telemetry, ejection), and special considerations (age, anticoagulation, pregnancy, EMS judgment). Sophie Well returns the destination tier and the rule that triggered it.
When to use it
Use this on-scene or during transport when destination is in question, on training shifts to verify your local protocol matches the national guideline, or in QA review of a trauma transport decision. The CDC guideline is the federal scaffold; every state and EMS region overlays its own destination rules, trauma-system catchment maps, and pediatric routing - your local protocol always wins on the truck. The triage decision is also iterative: a patient who looks stable on initial contact and decompensates en route should be re-triaged and the destination escalated, with the receiving facility notified.
References
American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma. National Guideline for the Field Triage of Injured Patients. 2021. (Supersedes the CDC MMWR 2011;61(RR-1) field-triage guidance; stewardship of the guideline moved to ACS-COT/CDC.)
Source: CDC Field Triage Guidelines
Worked example: Highest-level trauma center (Step 1).
Sophie Well is a reference and educational tool. Not medical, legal, or financial advice. Does not replace clinician judgment, professional billing review, or legal counsel.