Figure 3. Prognostic Horizons in Triage.

Of the 32 state policies analyzed, most (21) called on triage officers to prognosticate survival beyond hospital discharge. Of these, 15 states called for prognostication to certain end points (6-month, 1-year, 2-year, 5-year). Six incorporated a prognostic assessment using only qualitative terms (near-term, short-term, long-term). Oklahoma and Montana instructed triage officers to consider long-term survival, specifying 10-year survival for the subset of patients with malignant neoplasm.