In disaster management, what does the term 'expectant' indicate regarding patient care?

In disaster management, the term 'expectant' refers to patients who are assessed as having a very low chance of survival even with immediate and intensive medical intervention. This classification is part of triage, where patients are prioritized based on the severity of their condition and the likelihood of benefit from available resources.

The 'expectant' category typically includes individuals who are in critical, life-threatening conditions but are not responding to resuscitation efforts. The decision to categorize a patient as expectant is made to ensure that medical resources, which may be limited during a disaster, are allocated to those who have a better chance of recovery with treatment. Thus, identifying these patients correctly allows healthcare providers to focus their efforts on improving overall survival rates among the remaining patients who are either stable or critical but potentially salvageable.