Facing the challenges of war, Israeli medical teams are treating high volumes of casualties in varying conditions, relying on clear medical classifications such as “mild, moderate, severe or critical” to quickly prioritize care and make real-time decisions. These classifications go beyond labels—they serve as essential tools in triage. Dr.
Shafir Botner, head of Magen David Adom’s paramedic school, explains that these classifications are designed to communicate a patient’s condition to the public in accessible terms, since most are not medically trained. “For public clarity, we’ve categorized injuries as mild, moderate, severe and also added ‘critical’ in recent years,” Botner said. 3 View gallery Triage at Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon during the October 7 Hamas attack ( Photo: Gil Nechushtan ) According to Dr.
Gal Pachis, head of emergency medicine at Shamir Medical Center, this standardized language also facilitates coordination during mass-casualty events, such as the Hamas attacks on October 7-8, 2023, allowing hospitals and the Health Ministry to gauge patient loads and direct ambulances to less-crowded facilities. “Classifying trauma severity is complex,” Pachis noted. “There are various assessment methods from field to emergency room and inpatient care.
Accurate classification aids in managing evacuation urgency, dispersing patients to different medical centers and preparing hospital resources for treatment, as well as for research aspe.