The determination of whether a medical patient is high-priority or low-priority for transport is typically made when?

• A. before the primary assessment is completed
• B. during the secondary assessment
• C. after the primary assessment has been completed
• D. after administering medications

Answer: (C)

The main idea is that transport priority is decided after you’ve completed the primary assessment. The primary survey quickly checks airway, breathing, circulation, and mental status and addresses any life threats. Once those critical conditions are identified and stabilized, you have the essential information to judge how urgently the patient needs transport. Making this determination before finishing the primary survey could miss or misjudge life threats, and waiting until the secondary assessment would unnecessarily delay the decision. Medications don’t by themselves set transport priority; they may change the condition, but the priority framework relies on the status revealed after the primary assessment. So, the best choice is after the primary assessment has been completed.