How do you prioritise when there are three sick patients simultaneously?

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Accepted Answer

I would step back briefly to gain situational awareness, then triage based on physiology rather than diagnosis — who is most likely to deteriorate first. I would delegate immediate interventions to capable team members (e.g. ABG, IV access, calling for senior or anaesthetics), go personally to the most unstable patient, and escalate early to the on-call consultant and ICU rather than late. I would set short reassessment intervals, communicate clearly with nursing coordinators about ceiling of care and bed needs, and document decisions in real time so that any incoming team member can pick up safely. The principle is that safe registrar practice is team-based — work in parallel, not alone.

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