Which of the following should be recorded on a casualty care record in the field?

• A. Time of injury
• B. Mechanism
• C. Vitals
• D. All of the above

Answer: (D)

In field casualty care, recording comprehensive information is essential for ongoing care, triage decisions, and clear handoffs. The time of injury marks when the event began, which helps establish treatment windows, assess the progression of symptoms, and coordinate with medical facilities about when care was provided and what interventions were possible. The mechanism of injury tells you how the trauma occurred, guiding your suspicion for certain injuries and influencing the protocols you apply—different mechanisms carry different risk profiles (blunt vs penetrating, blast, fall, etc.). Vital signs provide a snapshot of the patient’s current physiological status and how they respond to treatment, and they are something you monitor repeatedly to detect deterioration or improvement. Taken together, these elements give a complete picture of the patient’s condition and the scene, enabling accurate communication and continuity of care. Therefore, all of these items should be recorded on a casualty care record in the field.