What does the 'T' in the mnemonic STOPEATS represent?

The 'T' in the mnemonic STOPEATS stands for Temperature. This mnemonic is used in wilderness medicine to help responders remember the critical assessments and potential causes of a patient's condition, especially in the context of environmental factors and patient management.

Temperature is an essential factor in evaluating a patient, as both hyperthermia (elevated body temperature) and hypothermia (reduced body temperature) can significantly impact a person's physiological status. Understanding and assessing the body temperature allows responders to identify heat-related illnesses or cold-related emergencies, which are common in wilderness settings. This assessment guides appropriate interventions, such as re-warming a hypothermic patient or implementing cooling measures for someone experiencing heat exhaustion or heat stroke.

In the context of the other options, trauma, technique, and treatment are all important aspects of patient assessment and management in wilderness first response, but they do not represent the specific aspect denoted by the 'T' in this particular mnemonic. The focus here is directly on temperature as a critical factor in the patient evaluation process.