Science Politics | National Library of Medicine
My concern about triaging before a patient reaches an emergency department is not an inherent problem of using software. Any system with finite capacity must sort; one that refused would simply sort by who arrived first or shouted loudest. But sorting is legitimate only insofar as it tracks need. My concern is when software treats a patient’s social identity — or her ability to describe illness in language a system recognizes — as a proxy for medical need. Above: Flying Ambulances were used to evacuate casualties from the battlefield