47 - Triage and treatment of wounded during armed conflict

Summary

Triage is a system of sorting patients according to need when resources are insufficient for all wounded to be treated. Military medical ethics becomes even more complex and challenging in the arena of armed conflict when triage of the wounded involves friendly soldiers, enlisted enemy soldiers, and local civilians. There is a theoretical and practical basis for treating wounded enemy non-combatants the same as wounded friendly soldiers. Civilian non-combatants are those taking no active part in hostilities such as the local civilians, aid workers, displaced persons, and media. Knowledge of some of the ethical underpinnings of the decision-making process would aid in making these difficult decisions in a tense situation. Close examination of the nature of the differences between bioethical principles in peacetime as well as wartime will ultimately lead to a better understanding of the difficulties faced by physicians during armed conflict.